


The Color Series

by orphan_account



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, cheroni, choni
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-09-17
Packaged: 2019-05-24 18:00:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 29,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14959385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: A collection of Choni stories, inspired by colors and the moods/emotions they provoke. Some chapters will be rated M, while others will be completely PG.





	1. The First Time

**Author's Note:**

> This is a series that I am incredibly proud of, and that will be updated sporadically. I hope you guys enjoy it, because it really is a piece of my heart.

**white:**

_virginity, humility, innocence and youth._

 

**The First Time (rated M)**

 

Flaming red hair burns the palms of her hands, scorching her in the most tantalizing manner. She clutches fists full of the enticing, silky strands, as their mouths move in perfect sync. She can feel Cheryl’s hands at the hem of her t-shirt, fingertips grazing the soft skin hidden behind the Beavis and Butthead print. Her own hands clench and unclench from their spot, buried deep in the locks she’s grown so fond of. Repeatedly she grabs and pulls, before smoothing and caressing.

 

The springs of the worn out couch protest beneath her as Cheryl moves to sit completely on top of her, straddling her lap with those delectable long legs of hers. The move sounds an alarm in Toni’s head, alerting her to the fact that this will be over soon. She moves her hands carefully, smoothing down the crumbled fabric of Cheryl’s shirt as she strokes down her back and places her palms against her bare thighs.

 

It’s a common exchange of actions - they’ll be devouring each other, hands touching and squeezing, until Cheryl moves on top and gains the control. From her perch upon Toni’s lap she has the power to cut off her actions. It is a power move. One that tells Toni that she is done for now, that they won’t be going any further right now. Toni’s okay with it, of course she is. However, she’d be lying if she said she didn’t feel an all-consuming need to discover more, to see, feel, taste.

 

She waits for the inevitable breakaway. Waits for Cheryl to place nimble hands upon her shoulders and hold her back, just out of reach of her lips. But it never comes. Instead, the redhead makes a move to grab Toni’s hand and place it back in her hair. A surprised smile snakes it way onto her chapped lips, as her left hand resumes its previous task of pulling and releasing. In a gesture of courage she slides her right hand into the back pocket of her girlfriend’s tiny shorts, massaging ample flesh.

 

Her mind briefly drifts to Sweet Pea, his broad shoulders and the way his smirk filled his whole face as he begged for Toni to just “get with” Cheryl already, so he would be rid of seeing that wistful look on her face.

 

_The Whyte Wyrm was packed with Serpents, congratulating each other on their recent “victory,” over the Ghoulies. Bottles banged against bottles, overfilled glasses spilled golden drops of courage upon the already sticky floor, and the crowd was ablaze with pride and satisfaction. In the midst of it all, surrounding the broken-down pool table, Toni stood with Sweet Pea and Fangs. Sweet Pea was trying, and failing, to hit the cue ball. Every time he placed it upon the table it would start rolling towards the end of the green polstering, and he loudly cursed whatever idiot had decided to make two of the legs shorter than the other two._

 

_“That was you,” Fangs deadpanned, “remember? You got so angry that I beat you, that you sawed down the legs to make the game easier for you.”_

 

_“That definitely never happened,” the tall boy grunted in response, “tell him Toni.”_

 

_“Mhm, sure Pea.”_

 

_The guys took one look at her, Fangs about to protest, until he saw the absentminded look on her face. He locked eyes with Sweet Pea who simply shot him a sly smile as they followed her line of sight._

 

_In had entered Cheryl._

 

_The redhead was looking around the room, quite obviously trying to find her girlfriend and her friends. She still looked slightly uncomfortable at the Wyrm, although she tried to hide it behind bravado and clothes that required a confidence few possessed. Her lip was pressed between her teeth, and she kept even the rowdiest of the older Serpents at least at a foot’s distance. As her eyes locked on Toni, she smiled softly, a tiny smile reserved only for her girl. Sweet Pea found it disgusting._

 

_“Earth to Toni,” he leaned in to whisper in her ear, “quit eye-fucking her, she’s coming this way.”_

 

_Toni snapped out of her stupor, smacking him on the chest and hissing at him to shut his mouth. As Cheryl reached them she plastered on a strained smile, her eyes burning Sweet Pea’s entire figure as she sent him a silent warning. He raised his hands in defense and stepped back to the pool table, where he spoke quietly with Fangs._

 

_“Do I want to know what that was about?” Cheryl raised her eyebrow and grabbed onto the lapels of Toni’s leather jacket._

 

_“Definitely not,” a pink braid swung from side to side as she shook her head, “hi beautiful.”_

 

_The taller girl moved to kiss her cheek, when Toni turned her head just slightly, successfully earning a kiss on the corner of her mouth instead._

 

_“Brat,” Cheryl rolled her eyes before motioning her head to the back of the bar, “I’m going to head to the little girl’s room, but when I come back I want to hear all about the Ghoulie ass you’ve been kicking.”_

 

_“Deal.”_

 

_With that, Cheryl strutted away. Toni’s eyes travelled the length of her legs, admiring the way her skirt flowed elegantly across the back of her thighs. Then to the tiny piece of skin showing between the hem of the skirt and the girl’s crop top. Even at a distance she could see her powerful muscles ripple beneath her pale skin._

 

_“Would you just bang her already?” Sweet Pea groaned, Fangs nodding in agreement behind him and letting out a soft “amen.”_

 

_“Excuse me, what?” she spun on the heel of her boots, crossing her arms across her chest. Even though she was tiny compared to the boys, she knew just how to intimidate them._

 

_“Quit it, short stuff,” Fangs chuckled, “you’re not as intimidating when you’ve just been eyeing up your girl. Makes you all mushy looking.”_

 

_“I am not mushy,” she huffed._

 

_“No, you’re just horny,” Sweet Pea obviously wasn’t willing to drop the subject just yet, “and we need you to get it done with your lady so we can be done with this whole longing-stare thing you’ve got going.”_

 

_“We’re taking it slow,” her eyes fell to the ground, catching on Fang’s yellow laces._

 

_“Why?” Sweet Pea said, “it’s not like she’s a virgin or something.”_

 

Toni felt Cheryl’s hands move beneath her shirt fully, drawing subtle patterns on her sides, pulling her out of her reverie. Why was she thinking of the guys while making out with this gorgeous girl anyway?

 

Then the hands moved to her ribs, just below her bra, and all thoughts of anything were abandoned. Sure, they’d done this before, but it was an incredibly rare occurrence, and Cheryl had never initiated with such insistence before. Who was she to complain though?

 

Encouraged by her actions, Toni allowed her hands to travel beneath Cheryl’s shirt, scraping her back with a combination of gentle fingertips and rough nails. She knew they were bound to be dirty, she wasn’t prone to staying clean for long, yet couldn’t find it in herself to care too much.

 

Cheryl’s back arched in response, moving her heaving chest towards Toni’s face as their lips parted. Both panting, their breaths matched along with their wide grins.

 

“You’ve got lipstick all over your face,” her words were accompanied by the swift stroke of a thumb across Toni’s lip.

 

Leaning in for a peck, she winked; “let me give it back to you then.”

 

Her trademark eye roll came nearly by instinct by now. Toni took pride in her ability to aggravate her girlfriend, knowing she used the move to hide any potential embarrassment or blush.

 

“You’re an idiot.”

 

“But I’m your idiot,” she wiggled her eyebrows and pecked her lips once more.

 

“An idiot, nonetheless,” Cheryl said.

 

“You wound me,” Toni leaned in closer, their noses barely brushing, “I think you should kiss it better.”

 

Yet another eye roll followed, before Cheryl complied to her request and crashed their lips together. Her hands resumed their roaming, and Toni’s breath caught in her throat as she passed her hands over her breasts. She felt the redhead smirk into their kiss, their teeth clashing together as she grasped her breasts completely. Toni, not one to be dominated or outdone, growled in challenge and unhooked Cheryl’s bra with one-handed flourish. Then she the other girl was leaning her head on her shoulder and laughing heartily. Toni’s brow furrowed.

 

“What?”

 

“Did you just _growl_?” Cheryl spoke through deep chuckles.

 

“No…” it was Toni’s turn to blush, but she was thankful that her already flushed face hid it well.

 

“Yes, you definitely did,” Cheryl persisted, before shrugging and looking at Toni with a crooked smile, “it was kind of cute though.”

 

“I am not cute,” Toni frowned, “I am a goddess. I’m mighty and powerful, the intimidator of enemies, the wooer of both genders. My skills are uncomparable and my sexual prowess knows no limits. I am -”

 

Her rant was cut short as Cheryl placed her open mouth upon hers. Her tongue swiped at her lips, as the girl removed her own bra completely. She held it with just one finger, dropping it to the floor with flair. Then she leaned in and kissed her way from Toni’s rounded chin to her ear.

 

“ _Show me_ ,” she whispered.

 

Had Toni not been turned on before, she was now, without a shadow of a doubt. She felt crimson red lips nibble and lick from her ear to her neck. God. This was a good day. All arguments forgotten for now, her fingers travelled to Cheryl’s front, quickly finding their way to her taut breasts. Cupping one, she rolled the nipple of the other between her fingertips and revelled in the feeling of a soft moan against her neck. She leaned forwards as she felt Cheryl’s hands travel to her back, allowing her to unclasp her bra. With choppy movements she removed it fully. As opposed to Cheryl she threw it unceremoniously across the room, where it caught on the antenna of her uncle’s ancient TV. Toni smiled, and judging by the break in kisses placed upon her neck, Cheryl had noticed the contrast between the two’s actions as well.

 

Toni took advantage of the faint moment of release, and claimed Cheryl’s mouth with her own. Eagerly, tongues and teeth clashed together in a battle for dominance. As Toni bit down on Cheryl’s bottom lip and immediately soothed it with her tongue, the girl seemed to give in and allow her to take complete control. She resigned herself to massage Toni’s breasts instead, a development Toni definitely didn’t fight. She hummed in enjoyment, urging Cheryl on.

 

She looked at the expanse of her exposed neck, pale, untarnished skin begging to be marked. Practically launching forward, she went straight for the girl’s pulse point. She sucked roughly, scraping her teeth across the tender surface. Her hands moved to the edge of Cheryl’s shirt, and she tugged tentatively. Breaking away from the nape of her neck she looked at Cheryl with a silent question in her eyes. The redhead worried her lip for a mere second, before nodding scarcely. Seeing the uncertainty in Cheryl’s eyes, Toni kissed her tenderly before leaning back slightly.

 

“You sure baby?” she asked.

 

Another nod followed.

 

“Tell me you’re sure, please.”  


“I’m sure, Toni,” Cheryl straightened her back and looked at her with conviction, “I want this.”

 

Satisfied, Toni made quick work of Cheryl’s shirt. She grinned as she folded it to the best of her ability and placed it on the coffee table. Then she looked at her now half-naked girlfriend and gaped openly.

 

“God, Cheryl, you’re so beautiful,” her voice was barely more than a whisper.

 

A profound blush spread across her perfect cheeks, and she tucked her chin down, looking anywhere but at Toni.

 

As she sat there in the rays of sun that made their way through the blinds she looked absolutely breathtaking. She seemed to tuck the light beneath her shoulder blades, making her seem more alive than ever. With sure movements, Toni dragged her nails delicately up and down her arms, then across the back of her hands. Following the trail to her hips and onto her toned stomach she lifted her one hand to turn Cheryl’s head toward her. The girl was still looking down, not meeting her eyes. Toni pecked her forehead, then both cheeks, her nose, her eyebrows, her chin, showering her with affection. Meanwhile, the hand not holding her head in place traced delicate patterns upon her collarbones. She bumped their foreheads together.

 

“Cheryl,” she breathed, “look at me.”

 

Tentatively, the other girl obliged. Her eyes were unsure, deep pools of brown that seemed to go on forever.

 

“You’re gorgeous,” Toni grinned, “much like the rest of you, positively sensational.”

 

At the reference to their first real moment together, a smile tugged at the corners of Cheryl’s lips. Then she looked Toni over with a determined gaze.

 

“You too,” she demanded.

 

Toni was more than happy to oblige, tugging her t-shirt over her head and letting it suffer the same destiny as her bra. Cheryl’s response was a sweet smile, one that spoke volumes. With a single finger she traced the skin of Toni’s shoulder. She passed over the small, circular burn marks on her left shoulder with a frown.

 

“What’s this from?” her voice seemed infinitely small.

 

“It’s, uhm, cigarette burns,” sheepish, Toni rubbed the back of her neck, “when I was younger it was sort of a test of toughness, seeing who could endure the most. Sweet Pea has them too.”

 

“That sounds insane,” Cheryl didn’t exactly look pleased, “what about this?”

 

Toni looked down, looking at the rather long, thin scar that ran from the side of her stomach to just below her ribs. It wasn’t something she thought about often, as scars were common with the Serpents. Everyone had them, in some form or shape.

 

“Motorcycle crash,” she shrugged. That one had been a pain to recover from.

 

“Remind me to never get back on that deathtrap with you.”

 

“I haven’t crashed since,” Toni chuckled, “not in a way that counts anyways.”

 

Cheryl bit her lip and looked over Toni once more. This time her eyes settled on her chest though, and Toni could swear she saw eyes glaze over just the tiniest bit. Then Cheryl’s hands were on her once more, caressing every inch of her torso.

 

“I don’t want anything to happen to you,” she spoke, “it would be a shame to ruin such an exceptional piece of art.”

 

Toni grinned widely, and raised her brows as high as they could possibly go, “art huh?”

 

A nod was all she got in response. Toni squeezed Cheryl close to her body, letting their upper bodies melt together. She bathed in the feel of bare skin against bare skin. She breathed in deeply, inhaling the heady scent of her girlfriend as she kissed her shoulder.

 

“Don’t worry princess, I’m not going anywhere.”

 

It was as if the mood switched then. The entire atmosphere of the room went from overflowing with teenage hormones and rushed touches, to one of impalpable serenity. The way their eyes met once more sent a shiver through Toni, and the content smile that stretched across Cheryl’s unmared face was enough to turn her into a puddle. Hands that before worked with an undoubtable purpose now trailed unseeingly upon any and all bare skin available. This time, when their lips met, it wasn’t rushed or rough or demanding. Yet it was passionate and breathtaking in its own right.

 

Cheryl appeared to have made up her mind about something that she was yet to vocalize. Toni had a faint hope of what it might be, however it was not her place to bring it up. So for now she would accede to merely touch and be touched. The faint flutter of eyelashes skimmed upon her cheek as they slowly but surely let their hands roam across the wilderness of the other’s body. Much like cutting through the thick of a forest, only to find civilization on the other side, they discovered what made the other sigh, giggle, moan or frown. For one, Toni quickly observed the way Cheryl’s entire spine turned rigid when she passed the tips of her fingers over her shoulder blades. Or how her eyes rolled into the back of her head when she caught her breast in the warmth of her hand with just enough force. Or how she’d try to stifle a laugh when her ribs were grazed even just the tiniest bit.

 

In turn, Toni let loose similar information about her own do’s and don'ts. Par example, Cheryl had to squeeze her stomach only once to figure out that it wasn’t appreciated. Or how when she ground her hips into Toni’s, the shorter girl’s hands would tighten their hold upon her body, regardless of their immediate position. Or just exactly what that spot beneath her earlobe could be used for.

 

It was torture. Sweet, unyielding torture.

 

“Toni?” supple lips brushed against the sensitive skin of her neck.

 

“Yeah?” Toni responded breathlessly, frantically continuing the assault of her hands upon the wide stretches of milky white skin towering above her.

 

“Take me to bed.”

 

Her hands stilled. With all the likeliness of her looking like a gaping fish in mind, she removed herself from Cheryl’s immediate vicinity, hands frozen upon the bare skin directly above her shorts. She raised her eyes to Cheryl’s. Those stolen specks of sunlight, sparkling from the inside out with clarity and devotion. The way her lashes fanned madly onto her plump cheeks made her heart jump in a vain attempt to flutter in tune.

 

“Really?”

 

“Really.” a tender kiss sealed her proposition.

 

_It had been months earlier, that Cheryl had first told her she had never been with anyone, “like that.”_

 

_They’d been lounging in Toni’s trailer, Toni furiously punching at the buttons of playstation controller as she aimed for the nearest hooker on screen. Meanwhile, Cheryl’s feet were propped up on her lap effortlessly. The redhead was fixated upon the task of filing her nails. Occasionally, Toni would catch her rolling her eyes at some of her more graphic outbursts._

 

_Yet after a few minutes of radio-silence she looked to her girlfriend expectantly. Cheryl was staring at her. Full on staring, as if she’d grown an extra limb quite suddenly. Then she blushed furiously, looking back downwards onto her nails. Toni was just about to ask what was going on, when Cheryl spoke._

 

_“You know you’re the first person I’ve ever dated, right?”_

 

_“Yeah,” Toni smiled, pausing the game completely, “and more than likely the only person you’ll ever date.”_

 

_“Sure,” the eye roll was back, “but that isn’t what I wanted to talk about.”_

 

_“Then what’s on your mind, sugar?” she knew exactly how much Cheryl despised that particular pet name, and made sure to use it as frequently as possible._

 

_“Well… that also means that I’ve never,” Cheryl tucked a hand beneath her chin, “slept with anyone.”_

 

_Toni’s brows rose as she took in her words. She placed the controller on the coffee table and turned to face Cheryl, tucking her bare feet beneath her. She knew Cheryl had definitely kissed others before her, yet it had never crossed her mind that she could’ve slept with any of them. Her sexual status, so to speak, had honestly never been something she’d wondered about._

 

_“Okay?” she wasn’t entirely sure where this conversation was heading._

 

_“But I want to,” Cheryl was quick to clarify, “with you.”_

 

_“If that’s your attempt at wooing me you’re doing a pretty awful job, babe.”_

 

_“I’m just saying,” she shrugged, “that at some point in our relationship I see us consummating our feelings for one another.”_

 

_“Oh geez, can’t wait for the consummating,” Toni laughed and leaned in to grab Cheryl’s hand in hers, wrapping her fingers around the nail file, “except I can wait, cause I bet that body’s worth any amount of anticipation.”_

 

_Her brows wiggled suggestively and Cheryl smiled fully._

 

_“As long as you don’t treat me as the women in that game of yours,” she nodded towards the screen and turned her nose up._

 

_“What? The hookers?” Toni’s cheeks nearly split at the shit eating grin on her face, “I think that’s why they made this game. Get paid, get laid, shoot the prostitutes so you won’t have to pay.”_

 

_“Charming, Antoinette.”_

 

_“Just for you, Marjorie.”_

 

To say that she was surprised would be an understatement. While their relationship had certainly progressed over the course of the few past months, the whole sex thing had remained static. They never went any further than what Cheryl was comfortable with. Toni was willing to wait, she had meant that as she said it. She knew Cheryl had some serious trust issues. Giving yourself away in such an intimate manner for the first time, was definitely a big deal.

 

“Come on,” Cheryl stood, reaching her hand out for Toni to pull herself up by. She proceeded to drag her towards the bedroom, but paused as Toni started jumping uncontrollably on one leg as she desperately fought to remove her socks.

 

“That’s sexy,” she quipped.

 

“I’d rather you see this than you see me wearing socks in the middle of blowing your mind,” Toni bit back, squeezing Cheryl’s behind with a smirk.

 

“Cheeky.”

 

“Times two,” Toni’s eyes travelled to Cheryl’s ass once more, and her obvious staring earned her a rough slap on the shoulder.

 

“Don’t make me change my mind,” she warned.

 

Toni feigned offense, covering her mouth in shock before lowering her hand to mouth; “you wouldn’t.”

 

Perfectly plucked brows rose in challenge, a silent dare to try her. Toni sighed dramatically, and placed her hand on the small of Cheryl’s back. She guided her through to her bedroom, sparing one look back at the living room where Beavis was grinning at her from his spot on top of the TV. She cringed internally at the sight of used clothes and crumbled sheets within her bedroom. Turning her back to the bed, Cheryl wrapped her arms around Toni’s neck, a move that would most definitely look odd should anyone be watching. The height difference was jarring. However, that was the absolute last thing on Toni’s mind as she captured her girlfriend’s lips between her own.

 

She moved them forward until the back of Cheryl’s knees hit the edge of the mattress. Then she lowered her gently, climbing on top of her in the process. The redhead hummed into her mouth as Toni moved her leg in between her thighs. That was new. In this case, change had never tasted sweeter.

 

They spent a few minutes like that, languidly letting their tongues roam freely, before Toni had enough and began travelling down Cheryl’s neck, trailing wet kisses. She wanted to take it slow, wanted to treat Cheryl to the most tender, toe-curling love making ever, however, she was only a teenager, and the sight of Cheryl’s chest rising and falling rapidly was too tempting. So she placed rushed, open-mouthed kisses upon every inch of her collarbones and neck, moving determinedly towards her target.

 

She spared a look upwards, looking for any sign of discomfort but finding none. Cheryl had her head thrown back, flaming locks sprawled across the stark white sheets. Her eyes were closed. As if she sensed Toni’s quiet hesitance she pushed her chest forward in invitation. Without a second thought Toni latched onto her left nipple, tentatively at first. Her tongue drew tight circles around the sensitive bud, and a guttural moan left Cheryl’s parted lips. The sound send shockwaves through Toni, and she thought it might just be the most erotic melody to ever grace her ears.

 

Agile hands threaded in her hair, pulling pink hair and scratching at her scalp. Toni drew away slightly and drew a cold breath upon the taut nipple, before engulfing it with her warm mouth. With a final flick of her tongue she moved to Cheryl’s other breast, giving it the same treatment. Then she felt strong forearms tug at her, dragging her back to Cheryl’s lips. The redhead flipped them over, perching herself upon Toni’s bare stomach. The heat of her center was discernible through those enticing black shorts.

 

Cheryl dragged a wet trail from Toni’s mouth to her breasts, but paused as she gazed down at Toni. The pink-haired girl cupped her face with both hands and smiled reassuringly.

 

“You’re so amazing,” she said, “and you make me feel wonderful.”

 

She pulled her down for a kiss, which Cheryl cut short by slithering down her body and massaging her breasts.

 

“I like these,” she announced, and Toni laughed heartily.

 

“I’m glad you do,” she bit her lip and winked, “they’re the only pair I have.”

 

Cheryl giggled against her sternum and placed gentle kisses against her tan skin as her laughter faded out. She looked almost shy as she took one nipple into her mouth, experimenting with movements and pressure. Toni hummed in satisfaction, holding on to Cheryl’s neck as she pulled her impossibly closer.

 

When Cheryl came up for air, Toni rolled them over once more and smiled smugly. She kissed away the provoked expression on her girlfriend’s features. She was sure that little pout would have disappeared on its own anyway, as she moved down Cheryl’s body. She placed tiny kisses down her chest and arms. Butterfly kisses were littered liberally, and she nuzzled every crook and cranny visible. The skin beneath her fingers burned pleasantly. She inhaled the intoxicating smell of black pepper and something so undeniably human that it pierced through Cheryl’s well-kept facade and revealed the Cheryl that wasn’t carefully pieced together for appearance’s sake. Her Cheryl.

 

The lower she went, the stronger the scent grew, until it was overwhelming her every sense. She could nearly taste it on her tongue. She drew short breaths against the skin just above Cheryl’s shorts. She nipped at the delicate skins, revelling in the marks she could see forming on her woman already. Cheryl lifted her hips to meet her mouth. She wasn’t silent, yet Toni could tell she was holding back. Failing to let go completely.

 

With fumbling hands she attempted to unbutton Cheryl’s pants. She came up short, and Cheryl took matters into her own hands and got it done.

 

“Jittery, are we?” her teasing words were betrayed by the way she looked to the ceiling as she spoke. Her mouth twitched irregularly. She pushed the shorts down the length of her thighs, before letting Toni do the rest. Toni did so carefully, freeing one leg and then the other. Beneath her lithe hands she felt Cheryl’s entire being falter as the girl drew in a sharp breath.

 

Toni looked up at her girlfriend, paying attentive to every look twitch of a muscle as she raised one of her legs to rest upon her shoulder. She scattered subtle kisses from her ankle to her knee, never breaking eye contact. She regarded Cheryl’s slightly parted lips. Her narrowing eyes.

 

Her upper body came to rest on the bed, as she laid between powerful thighs, muscles tightened and ready to pounce. Kissed her just above the knee. Moving slowly, purposefully, scooting along the bed as she neared Cheryl’s center. She nuzzled her nose in the crook between her thigh and the fabric of her lacey red underwear.

 

“You okay?” a light kiss to the spot.

 

“I think so,” her voice was shaky, weighed down by nerves and uncertainty.

 

“You don’t have to be nervous,” Toni smiled softly, “it’s just me.”

 

“There’s no such thing as _just you_ ,” Cheryl mumbled, throwing her hand across her eyes.

 

“Sure there is,” Toni bit down on the skin below her lips, laughing as Cheryl yelped and fixed her with an angry stare, “little old idiot me, just worshipping little spectacular you.”

 

“And you say I’m bad at wooing.”

 

“You woo me everyday, Cheryl Bombshell,” she chuckled, “now let me woo you for once.”

 

“Okay,” Cheryl exhaled, “I’m ready.”

 

Toni placed her hand on the outside of Cheryl’s thigh, as she used her right hand to draw light circles on top of her underwear. She was warm and dripping beneath her touch.

 

“That you are,” she mumbled.

 

She grabbed at the edge of Cheryl’s underwear, quickly peering up to see Cheryl nod in confirmation. She urged herself to slow down, to abstain from ripping the garment apart in one quick move. If there was one thing she was certain of at that very moment, it was that Cheryl would most definitely not appreciate a move like that. So she inched it down her legs, before returning to her previous spot. She feasted her eyes on the flesh revealed to her, breathing shallow.

 

She dared a minuscule kiss just above her clit, hearing Cheryl hiss in response. Utilizing both hands to keep her hips still, she squeezed and blew a breath of hot air.

 

“Beautiful,” she kissed her once more, “magnificent. Absolutely gorgeous.”

 

She continued, strings of delicate affections escaping her lips, punctuated with supple kisses.

 

Slowly, Cheryl’s muscles relaxed, and Toni increased the force with which she was exploring her folds. She let her tongue emerge to play, and licked her all over with small strokes. Delight washed over Toni as she heard soft moans and gasps spill past ruby red lips. She could swear she heard her own name once or twice.

 

As Cheryl began to twitch beneath her hands, she lowered her right hand to the redhead’s center. She gathered the wetness there upon her fingers, and let them caress her folds carefully, letting her get used to the sensation. Then she slipped one finger past her entrance, wet heat seizing her. Cheryl’s hips bucked against her mouth and hand, and Toni struggled to keep her constrained. She wrapped her legs around Toni’s waist, pulling her in. While Toni relished in the rising volume of Cheryl’s cries, she set out to make her feel even better. So she fought her instincts and forced herself to slow down her movement. Her tongue lapped at her clit, and her hand moved at a pace that was painstakingly slow.

 

She hummed contently, sending vibrations rushing through Cheryl’s body; “you’re amazing.”

 

Cheryl’s hand went to her shoulders, nails scratching aimlessly, incoherent patterns and shapes appearing in red lines. Toni groaned, increasing the pressure of her insisting mouth. She licked and nibbled and tugged, as she pushed in a second finger. Cheryl was tight around her fingers, and she stilled the movement of her hand as the other girl adjusted. When Cheryl resumed the movement of her hips, she rose to meet her rhythm.

 

It wasn’t long before Toni felt Cheryl’s core begin to tighten around her fingers. She admired the way the powerful muscles rippled beneath the skin of her stomach. She looked up to find Cheryl looking directly at her. Her nails dug into Toni’s back painfully, as she was holding on for dear life. Toni moved as if on autopilot as she focused on pleasure swimming in Cheryl’s eyes. Every breath out from the girl was a gasp, sending shivers down to her toes.

 

She curled her fingers inside Cheryl, who in turn let out a breathy moan. Toni heard her swear in a whisper, and felt her shoulders burn beneath her grip. She had to be near to drawing blood.

 

With a final drawn out moan, Cheryl clenched around her hand, the trashing of her hips subsiding to a tremor. Toni thrusted a few more times, languidly drawing out the pleasure. Cheryl shuddered beneath her, and the grip of her legs around her waist went slack. Toni placed a light kiss to her center before pulling away.

 

She took advantage of Cheryl’s disoriented state to wipe her mouth and hand on the duvet that was so carelessly thrown beside them. She then extracted herself from between Cheryl legs and moved to lay next to her.

 

Cheryl’s eyes were drilled into the ceiling as her breathing evened out. Toni turned to her side and rested her head on her hand as she looked down upon her. Her eyes were glazed over, her mouth agape and her cheeks aflame. Toni grabbed her hand tentatively, the one that had dropped weakly to the covers between them.

 

When heavy-lidded eyes finally met hers, she smiled. Her thumb stroked across Cheryl’s knuckles.

 

“How are you, princess?” she asked.

 

Cheryl’s eyelids fluttered rapidly, as a smile tucked at her lips.

 

“Never better,” she replied honestly.

 

Toni squeezed her hand between them, before leaning in to kiss her. It was gentle and loving, not a trace of urgency present. Cheryl cupped her cheek with trembling fingers. Toni giggled into the kiss, feeling a surge of happiness warming her entire body. Cheryl laughed too, resting their foreheads together. With her free hand, Toni reached blindly for the blanket she knew was behind her. Her fingers wrapped around the heavy fabric, and she pulled it forward to cover them both. Cheryl adjusted her legs, helping her fit it over them. With a tug of her hand, Toni rolled onto her back, dragging Cheryl with her. The redhead sighed in content, and buried herself in Toni’s side, head resting comfortably atop her chest. Toni wrapped her arm around her shoulders, and placed her lips to her forehead.

 

“Thank you,” Cheryl spoke quietly.

 

“What on earth are you thanking me for?” Toni wondered.

 

“For being so gentle with me. Showing me you care,” she felt the words spill across her chest as a warm breeze.

 

“Of course I care,” she kissed her slightly sweaty forehead once more, “I don’t know if you noticed, but I kind of like you.”

 

“Kind of?”

 

“Okay, I most definitely like you,” Toni grinned, laughter rumbling beneath Cheryl’s cheek, “it’s hard not to, what with you always around.”

 

“Shush, imp,” Cheryl slapped her shoulder lightly, “you love it really.”

 

“That I do,” she admitted, “and I also love the Gods for blessing me with your banging, Blossom body.”

 

She lifted her arm in a thumbs up, gesturing towards the ceiling. Cheryl dragged her arm back down, throwing it to her side.

 

“Shut up,” she whined.

 

“Do you want to go talk to the guys at the Whyrm instead?” Toni quipped, ghosting her fingers across the expanse of Cheryl’s ribs.

 

“Dear lord, no,” Cheryl looked positively horrified, “I’d rather stay here for the rest of my life, withering away to nothing.”

 

“We can do other things aside from wither,” Toni wiggled her eyebrows, “I think I have Uno somewhere in here.”

 

Cheryl turned her face into her shoulder and let out a dramatic sigh, body going completely lax as she groaned in frustration.

 

“You’re so annoying.”

 

Toni tightened her grip on the redhead, humming happily.

 

“I know.”


	2. Wrong Number

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A misunderstanding ends up changing the lives of Toni and Cheryl in ways neither girl could have ever predicted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

**Purple:**

_romance, creativity and magic._   
  


**Wrong Number (rated T)**   
  


**9:25 PM**

 

The strange number showing up on her phone’s brightly lit screen should surprise her more than it does. Yet as a Serpent, she’s grown used to receiving unexpected calls at any given hour of the day, from a long line of burner phones. She figures it’s just one of the guys, who need a favor of some sort. She prepares herself to say no, having been trying to put an end to the more sketchy side of business as of recently. Being a student at a school were drugs aren’t regularly consumed in the hallways has changed her, no doubt for the better.

 

She picks up the phone, hoping to God it’s something she can easily turn down, so she can stay out of trouble.

 

“Where are you?” an exasperated female voice sounds on the other end.

 

“At home, as I should be,” Toni tells her, not sure who it is. Sounds too young to be one of the other Serpent women.

 

There aren’t a lot of females outside the Serpents that would have this number, and this definitely doesn’t sound like any of the girls she has dared give her number to in recent days. Yet the voice sounds vaguely familiar, although Toni can’t quite put a finger on it and identify the mystery caller.

 

“Didn’t Jughead tell you to come along with him?” she still sounds royally pissed.

 

“Why would he ask me when he can ask his girlfriend,” Toni rolls her eyes, even though angry chick won’t be able to see it. “Betty’s probably there already.”

 

She really has no idea where Jughead is at this point, because they barely ever see each other anymore. They have a few classes together, but Betty are in those too, so Toni’s pushed to the sidelines. She doesn’t mind too much, she has Sweet Pea and Fangs to entertain her. Recently, making fun of the dopey couple has become a favourite past time of theirs. She’s aware she isn’t all that high on Jughead’s list of priorities, so she can’t figure out why this stranger would think she’d be with him.

 

“You’re not Betty,” the girl sounds both happy and disappointed at the same time.

 

“Obviously not,” Toni does not get why the girl would be happy with that, “I’m Toni. Jughead’s friend. Now why are you calling me?”

 

It seems like this chick is actually trying to reach the only woman of importance in Jughead’s life. The blonde one, the one Jughead had somehow fallen i love with, despite his brooding, overly dramatic tendencies. Pretty, well-off Betty, with parents that love her and protect her. Nothing like Toni, what with her orphan status and troubled past.

 

“I’m sorry,” the girl on the line suddenly sounds sheepish, all trace of anger slipping from her tone.

 

“Why are you calling me?” Toni repeats. She really does want an answer.

 

“I’m Cheryl Blossom,” she finally introduces herself, and she now understands why her voice sounded so damn familiar, “Jughead and Betty told me to meet them at Pop’s, but it appears both of them are going to be no-shows. Your number was on a note from Jughead. He told me to call if anything came up.”

 

Toni almost laughs out loud at the absurdity of the situation. It’s quite clear that Cheryl has no idea who she is actually speaking to, or she would’ve hung up ages ago. This Cheryl sure seems a world apart from the Cheryl Blossom that had screamed at her in the hall, proclaiming her the Queen of the Buskers.

 

Maybe they’d have met under civil circumstances if Jughead wasn’t too ashamed to bring his friends to the Wyrm, or bring the Serpents to Pop’s. Why Jughead would leave her number with Cheryl escapes her. He was there when Cheryl screamed at her, there when the redhead singlehandedly insulted all of the Serpents in one quick swoop.

 

“You can throw it out if you want to,” Toni offers. She looks down at her nails, running the pad of her thumb across them.

 

“Do they stand you up like this as well?” Cheryl returns to sounding slightly frustrated.

 

To be fair, Toni really had not spoken to Jughead for a while. She only ever talks to him at Serpent meetings, and with the recent lack of Ghoulie activity in the area, those meetings are few and far apart. The second he can run and be with Betty instead of his southside friends, he takes off without a second glance. His priorities are all with Betty, and Toni has no doubt that this is showing in all his other friendships, and not just his tie to her and the boys. They stopped mattering when Hiram Lodge’s plans to take over the Southside failed.

 

“Betty doesn’t like me all that much,” she tells Cheryl, smiling crookedly as she recalls their first couple interactions, “I got to know Jughead when they were broken up, and I’m not sure she’s really over it yet. I wasn’t all that nice to her.”

 

The idea that she was not very nice is an understatement; she knows that much. She has since been told that Betty took her ponytail jab to heart, and had been upset about it for nearly a week. Still, it was a freaking joke.

 

“And she’s holding that against you? Betty isn’t exactly a saint either,” Cheryl sounds positively appalled at the thought of it.

 

“Of course she is,” she can almost understand the grudge the blonde holds, “I made out with her boyfriend, and treated her like scum. I can’t really blame her for disliking me.”

 

This conversation has quickly turned into something much more than a simple wrong number, as Cheryl is getting to the root of some of her more petty issues with just a few simple questions. This is worrying, but she knows that the other girl is soon going to get sick of talking to her - she sounds like she has important business to tend to - and hang up on her.

 

“People have forgiven each other for much worse,” Cheryl murmurs, apparently on Toni’s side in all of this.

 

Toni is briefly reminded of the stories she’s heard about the Blossom family, the tragedy that befell her brother and the intricate web of lies that had been spun, not only around the entire city, but around Cheryl as well. She had heard the other students at Riverdale High whispering that she probably knew about her father’s business all along, and was in on it. Toni never did believe that. She recognized a girl broken by the chaotic thrum of life when she saw one.

 

“You don’t even know me,” Toni has to remind her, scoffing as she speaks.

 

She wants to believe that Cheryl is defending her through the lack of knowing any better, and not because she actually thinks Toni is in the right. Of course she’s heard the stories of the girls tragic past, but she’s also heard, as well as experienced, the mean front the girl puts on. The bitchy facade that is meant to intimidate any and all who dare challenge her. Perhaps Cheryl’s trying something new though. Turning a new leaf, or whatever.

 

“You could always tell me,” Cheryl’s offer sounds so casual and simple it makes Toni chuckle.

 

“Are you a shrink or something?”

 

“I just think telling this kind of stuff to a stranger is a lot easier,” Cheryl does make a good point there, “I know it feels that way to me. What if I promise to tell you some things as well?”

 

Why would a practical stranger defend her foolish, hormone driven mistakes, when the people close to her still condemn her for it, if not because she means what she is saying? Why not unleash her burdens on this poor girl? She won’t tell anyone Toni knows, because 1. she knows very few of the people Toni does, and 2. they’ve both expressed annoyance with Betty and Jughead already. This stranger, Cheryl Blossom of all people; she seems to have so many words to speak to her, even without knowing Toni even the slightest. She can only imagine what she might have to say once she does get to know Toni. She’s curious.

 

“You start,” she tries.

 

“Okay, where to begin,” Cheryl muses, and Toni is immediately drawn in by her voice, “they call me Cheryl Bombshell. Even my so called friends quiver in fear when I approach them. People think I’m this cold, heartless machine, but that’s not true. It’s just that I feel emotion differently than they do. I feel that my emotions burn so brightly that I am easily burned by them. I’ve been trying to stay stable - it’s been a rough year.”

 

Toni recognizes that feeling all too well; the feeling of having to keep your emotions hidden out of fear of hurting herself or others. Or coming across as weak. Rather seem cold and aloof, than sensitive and fragile.

 

“You still feel it all though,” Toni understands, because she feels it too.

 

“My mother is a witch,” Cheryl tells her, and Toni struggles to respond normally to that, only she finds it very difficult to do so. “Her experiences have taught me well. While she’s taught me how to manipulate and use my enemies, she’s also taught me that if you have no one close to you at all, you become a heartless bitch, with no concern for anyone but yourself. I don’t ever want to be like that. I would rather be stable.”

 

The word stable is used with a dismissive ease, as if she has heard the word used so many times before that it has lost most of its meaning to her. Maybe she had a shrink who told her to be stable, so often that she just grew desensitized to it. Lord knows she would have had to get some therapy after everything she’d been through. The word “stable” might be to Cheryl, what the word “safe,” is to Toni. Insignificant, something to strive for that never really comes true. Her surroundings had been deemed safe too many times.

 

“Safe was the watchword at my house,” she breaks a few bricks from her thick and tall wall and decides that Cheryl deserves to see more of her, “growing up in a gang, my parents always used to tell me when it was safe to come out after meetings, safe to come home, and safe to speak. It was never completely safe though. There was always someone in the background, listening in, like this looming shadow of doom surrounding our family. The night they passed, before they left, they told me they would be safe. I’m weary of the word safe.”

 

There are harsh breaths coming from Cheryl’s side of the conversation, and those breaths are the only things that tell Toni that she is even still there. Cheryl just lets her talk without interruption, because she really does need to get all of these things off of her chest. She’s never told anyone about this, because she’s had to be strong for herself, needed to be strong for what little resemblance of a life she had left after their passing. She’s never needed anyone, never had anyone she _could_ need. There was never anyone around when she needed someone.

 

“The lies our parents tell us,” Cheryl’s voice is sharp when she finally does speak.

 

“The stories we believe,” Toni replies, feeling understood for once.

 

She moves from the kitchen counter she has been leaning on, and opts to sit in the dingy couch, in front of the TV. She feels like she should be in a more comfortable position for a conversation like this one. There is nothing for her to do at the moment, except talk and listen, and she can do that with her boots dug deep in the couch cushions if she so desires.

 

“I hate talking about this to my friends,” Cheryl exclaims, and Toni can picture her gesturing dramatically as she speaks, trying to hold her phone to her ear.

 

“I hate the pity they get when you try,” she responds softly, remembering select occasions from years ago when she bothered to try and explain her story to Sweet Pea and Fangs, “I would rather do it all myself. I _can_ do it all myself. I don’t need anyone, really.”

 

It isn’t easy to continue believing that she does not need anyone when she has not been touched with love in years. In fact, none of the guys and girls she’s slept with over the years have loved her, and she has never loved them either. She wants to be stable and strong and alone, but she can’t help but miss the exhilarating feeling of loving and of trying to be truly happy. She can’t even recall the last time she had felt heartbroken.

 

“Can a solitary existence even really work?” Cheryl hates even considering it, that much is evident from the tone of her voice.

 

“It’s worked for me so far,” Toni tries to ensure that the lie isn’t too obvious.

 

It’s really only recently that she’s found that this lonely life doesn’t work for her. She wants to be the cause of someone’s smile, a smile that she can come home to after a rainy day.

 

“Just as much as it’s worked for me, I bet,” Cheryl has seen right through her.

 

No one has been able to work his or her way through Toni’s strong walls, until this enigma of a girl waltzed right through the tiny hole she gave her, and made her way into Toni’s soul as if she actually belonged there. She somehow made herself a part of Toni’s life without them truly meeting each other - sure, they’ve seen each other around school, but there has been no interaction of meaning until this completely random phone call.

 

It scares the living daylights out of her.

 

“What’s your favorite color?” she makes a desperate attempt to change the subject.

 

“Red,” Cheryl tells her, as if the change in subject is no surprise at all, “and yours?”

 

It is somewhat of a surprise, because most people their age don’t have an answer ready just like that. Most of the people she’s been foolish enough to ask have spouted some nonsense about the colour of their girlfriend’s eyes - Jughead, or, the colour of a tight fitting shirt of a woman passing on the street - Sweet Pea. She doubts that Cheryl’s favourite colour has anything to do with anything remotely related to such trivial things.

 

“I don’t have one,” Toni announces.

 

“That’s ridiculous, Toni,” Cheryl tells her, “you need to figure that sort of stuff out.”

 

With the way she is speaking, you would think that Toni did not know what her last name or blood type was, rather than something as silly as a favourite colour. She never bothered with silly things like that, even though she probably should’ve.

 

“My hair is pink,” she ponders, “that’s a nice colour.”

 

If this admission rings any bells with Cheryl, she doesn’t let on. Toni has a hard time seeing how Cheryl couldn’t know exactly who she is at this point, but the fact that the other girl doesn’t say anything about it is strangely comforting.

 

“I’m glad you’re making progress,” Cheryl puts on a fake formal tone, and Toni giggles.

 

“Okay, so what is the next stupid question we have to address?” she asks the Blossom girl.

 

It’s all a lot easier when it’s just stupid questions and a stranger making her laugh. There has not been a lot to laugh about lately, but one call from Bombshell Blossom, and she is a changed woman.

 

“I wear short shorts, and I sleep in nothing but those,” she is surprisingly open.

 

“Are you trying to kill me,” Toni wonders out loud, imagining what a sight that would be - and what she would do with that, “I mean; death by imagination is a nice way to go.”

 

While Toni had, up until just recently, harbored quite a heavy dislike for Cheryl Blossom, she had never been blind to what was in front of her. Cheryl had the body of a goddess, what with her petite face and her sculpted legs. Toni only ever attended the school’s athletic events to watch the cheerleaders, so that should indicate something. Point was, Cheryl’s body was worthy of immortalization.

 

“Quid pro quo,” Cheryl tells her, and Toni is surprised by her audacity.

 

Well, surprised, and a more than a little turned on at his audacity. Because while this is still a part of their little game, it is definitely not something they can freely discuss without going into phone sex territory. And while she could potentially be interested in going down that route, today is not the day. Either way, she never expected Cheryl to go that way as well. It was more than likely a slip of the tongue.

 

“I did not mean to say that,” Cheryl quickly rectifies the situation.

 

“For me, it depends on the situation,” Toni’s voice comes across as hoarse, and she knows it, but she really isn’t trying to go too far with this, “when I’m alone, I usually sleep in a big shirt and underwear. I prefer to sleep naked though, when I have company.”

 

This is all the honest truth, because she is not going to ruin this little game by lying to her, yet she can safely say that she has never stated this particular fact with so little concern. She doesn’t tell Cheryl that it’s been a while since she’s left the shirt in its designated drawer, and that she hasn’t had any real company in quite some time. It seems to have plenty effect on her already.

 

“Fuck,” a crash and then again Cheryl’s voice, “jesus, Toni!”

 

Her name sounds sweeter than ever when it falls from her lips, but what really takes the cake for Toni is that Cheryl’s voice has lost its typical cultured edge, and has gone straight into growl mode. Her voice is deeper and darker now, and Toni is seriously tempted to take of the sweatshirt she’s wearing, because it is getting hot in here and it is all because of one particular redhead. Honestly, she isn’t sure how they got to this, but she wants her and it’s showing.

 

“Favourite children’s song,” Toni changes the topic again, making it worse.

 

“Ragtime Cowboy Joe,” she answers immediately, making Toni envious of her ability to change gears so very quickly, “he’s hifalootin’, roofin’, tootin’.”

 

Toni giggles, because Cheryl really is charming and enthusiastic - her voice has gone back to normal, she regrets to hear. Still, she continues to interest her.

 

**10:46 PM**

 

“It’s your turn,” Cheryl tells her.

 

“So, I did mention my friend Sweet Pea before,” Toni  starts, already amused before she even starts her latest story, “well he’s a bit of a womanizing drunk, as I’ve said before. So, about two years ago I lived with him for a bit, and I would just come home to the strangest things.”

 

They’ve been on the phone for somewhere around 90 minutes, and Toni is already feeling sorry for her, because the phone bill that Cheryl will next receive is probably going to be pretty darn astronomical if they continue to talk like this. She isn’t feeling sorry enough to tell the other girl to hang up though, because she has not had a conversation like this one in ages. She honestly can’t think of any conversation she has ever had being like this one.

 

“Such as?” Cheryl sounds intrigued.

 

“One time he liberated all the lab animals at Southside High,” Toni laughs at the memory, and Cheryl chuckles along, “giving the budget at the school, that means it was mainly rats. So I came home after a long day to find him feeding a handful of rats with Reese’s Pieces, while the school’s lizard made a home in my closet. He still finds disgusting droppings in his trailer some times.”

 

“Well, it was a nice gesture,” Cheryl laughs heartily, flutters erupting in Toni’s chest.

 

Of course she would approve of an idea like that - because she likes any idea that has to do with innocent creatures claiming their freedom, sticking it to their oppressors. Even if it were just unnamed laboratory rats.

 

“The teachers didn’t even say anything, even though they all knew it was him,” Toni says, “they were all too scared of him.”

 

The pair laughs along as they share in the mental image of Sweet Pea towering above spectacle-wearing elderly professors with shaking frames.

 

**11:11 PM**

 

“Make a wish,” Toni tells her, checking the time.

 

“I wish you get everything you want out of life,” Cheryl is completely serious, “and I also wish for some evidence of the removing of clothes you’ve been talking about.”

 

Okay, so maybe her teasing about removing some pieces of clothing has been a bit too much, but Toni is falling for Cheryl with every word that falls from her lips, and she really just wants her to feel the same way about her, as Toni is starting to feel for her. Cheryl responds well to her teasing, and she really does want to continue with this thing.

 

“Yeah, so that’s not happening,” she gently let’s her down, “in this day and age, pictures on a phone are pretty much forever. i will promise that I’m only wearing my sleeping clothes. I’m alone, unfortunately. No nudity so far.”

 

it’s true. During the course of their conversation Toni has managed to slip into her usual night time attire, before propping herself up in her bed with a pillow tucked behind her back.

 

Cheryl must have known that it was not going to happen, but she no doubt still wanted to tease her, so Toni let’s this go with relative ease. The fact that the girl is teasing her at all just makes her so happy, because she thinks that this means that she is letting her behind her walls as much as Toni has let her behind her own. It is getting hard to continue her wall in any way, and she hated that with a passion. She needs that wall.

 

Still, she thinks that Cheryl Blossom might just mean a bit more.

 

“I don’t even know what you’ve done to me, Toni,” she sounds happy.

 

“Same here, Cheryl,” Toni tells her, grinning from ear to ear, “same here.”

 

**1:34 PM**

 

“I should probably get some sleep,” she hates herself for saying it.

 

“Me too,” Cheryl sounds as sad as Toni feels.

 

She takes another look around her pathetic sleeping quarters, willing it to change into something happier and into a place that had the other girl in it. It had been nearly five hours since they’d started talking, and though her throat aches, she does not want to stop.

 

“I’m just going to hold on to the phone while I get in bed,” she leaves her clothes as they are, strewn across her living room floor. Cleaning is left for the morning.

 

“I really don’t want to go to sleep yet,” Cheryl mutters in a voice that is much more sleepy than she intends it to be, “wow, I’m sorry. I did not mean to sound like a child.”

 

If only Toni could see what she looks like when she’s sleepy and talking in that rough voice that tells that she’s already halfway to dream land. She imagines her walking around her bedroom, wearing nothing but short shorts and holding her phone in her hand because she just does not want to stop talking. She feels she could listen to Cheryl’s voice forever.

 

“I feel the same way,” Toni confesses, before she knows just what she admits to.

 

**4:48 PM**

 

“We made it to the seven hour mark,” she tries to find a comfortable way to sleep again, knowing that it will not be any good when she’s still on the phone.

 

“I don’t even care what my plans are for tomorrow,” Cheryl tells her, “there’s just no way I’m going to fall asleep now. My phone might be exploding on me because I’ven ever called anyone for this amount of time before. But I don’t care.”

 

Toni’s phone is way too hot in her hands, and she might even be getting some mild burns after this night, but she will wear those proudly as a reminder of the night during which she had the best conversation of her life with this curious contradiction in terms that is Cheryl Blossom. Shit, she almost wants this night to be the entire story of their interaction, because nothing else could ever be this perfect, not ever again. So even though her cheek is burning on top of her device, she doesn’t really care either.

 

“I’m too wired to sleep,” she sighs and sits up straight in her bed, “I’ll just stay awake and finally watch the sunset thing that seems to be going on here on this dumb planet.”

 

She has never had the time to actually sit still and watch the sun come up over the trailer park, even if she’s been told that it’s the only time it looks like a place you would actually want to live. Sure, she’s been awake at this hour before, but that would be when she was either getting home late from a mission, or leaving early for one.

 

“Where’s the best place to watch the sunset?” Cheryl asks her suddenly.

 

“The roof of my trailer, if you mean on the Southside,” Toni chuckles somewhat humorlessly, “it’s not that high up, but there’s nothing in the way of your view either. I can take the phone with me.”

 

Maybe it’s possible for her to describe it to Cheryl, so that they can finish this fairytale-like night together in a way that would suit their odd relationship - the one that has sprung up over the course of the last few hours. Watching the sunset together, but separately, would definitely fit the bill for their new relationship. Even if it is somewhat undefinable. It isn’t platonic, that much she knows. There’s been way too many comments about underwear and other articles of clothing for this to still be considered a regular ol’e friendship in any way. Still, nothing more has happened either.

 

“What if I show up instead?” another question, one that startles her.

 

“You mean, like, coming to my trailer?” Toni is trying to work through the fear that is shooting through her at the mere thought of that idea, as quickly as possible.

 

It’s terrifying and incredibly exciting all at the same time. What if she doesn’t live up to his expectations of what kind of person she is? What if she’s not the same when there’s not the comfort of distance to separate them? She can think of so many what if’s it’s almost ridiculous.

 

“Only if you keep wearing what you’re wearing,” Cheryl’s voice is darker again.

 

“If you can get here within thirty minutes,” Toni offers, “I’ll be waiting on the roof. I might even bring a blanket and pillows - if you’re lucky.”

 

There are few things from the trailer that she can bring up to make things more comfortable for the both of them. She’s already writing out a mental list of what she has, and what could work. Well, that and thinking of ways in which she can get Cheryl to succumb to the lust she’s occasionally heard in her voice. If she has it her way, it’ll happen right on her favourite blanket.

 

“Trust me, I’ll be there,” Cheryl vows with a strength that surprises Toni, “and I won’t hang up either. We have got to keep this record going, don’t we?”

 

**5:15 PM**

 

The roof is not as cold as she expected it to be. She’s only been waiting for about ten minutes. She had to prepare both herself and her spot first, after all. The oversized shirt barely covers her underwear, and that puts a slight smile on her face. Hopefully Cheryl will notice too, and act on whatever feelings she’s developed for her.

 

“Are you almost here yet?” she breathes into the phone.

 

The sound of gravel resonates behind her, yet she doesn’t dare turn, knowing exactly what she’ll see if she does. She feels the roof give slightly, as extra weight is added.

 

“Yes,” the voice sounds from her phone and from right beside her ear at the same time, and Toni lets out a shaky breath. The voice is doing everything those Fifty Shades books promised to do, but couldn’t live up to in the end. When she whispers that one word, her breath is practically caressing Toni’s ear. She shivers.

 

Then the line goes dead, and Toni turns to meet expressive brown eyes, framed by flaming red locks. She can’t help the soft smile that forms across her lips, as she admires the bare face of Cheryl Blossom.

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without lipstick before,” she remarks, and Cheryl blushes.

 

Cheryl is kneeling on the blanket, wearing a fluffy robe and not much else, it would appear. Toni puts her arms around Cheryl’s neck, interlocking her fingers behind the other girl’s neck.

 

“Hi,” she whispers.

 

Their lips fit perfectly together, and while they start of somewhat awkwardly - not used to one another - Cheryl is a quick study and soon figures out just what drives her out of her mind with want. She does this thing with her tongue that’s just… fuck.

 

“You’re driving me crazy,” Cheryl speaks as she breaks their kiss.

 

“Ditto,” Toni yanks the other girl back to her, scratching her nails on her scalp.

 

Cheryl moans, and that moves everything into high speed. Her robe is discarded in between kisses, and Toni suddenly finds herself without a t-shirt. While Toni attempts to pull of Cheryl’s shorts, the girl’s hands move to her breasts, with clear intents to worship. As soon as the shorts come off, Cheryl covers the two of them with the large, soft blanket that they aren’t lying on. She covers the redhead’s body with her own, and when Cheryl leans in to whisper in her ear, Toni fights to keep in control.

 

“I want you.”

 

She’s pretty sure she’s in love with her. That, and they forgot about the sunrise.

 

**9:08 PM**

 

“Toni!” her wonderful dream about Cheryl is interrupted, “are you in there?”

 

Her eyes open quickly as the voice of Sweet Pea sounds out, ready to come in and ruin a perfect morning - because it appears Cheryl being with her was no dream at all.

 

“Up here,” she shouts, knowing it will wake the sleeping girl, “give me a minute!”

 

The girl in question is stretched out on the blankets, pillows long gone and lying several feet away from them, nearly spilling over the edge of the roof. Toni sees that Cheryl’s eyes are in fact open, and as she sits up she feels those eyes watching her every move. They’re both naked, but Cheryl is at least somewhat covered by the blanket - the same cannot be said for Toni.

 

“I was already awake,” she whispers and smiles sheepishly, “I was just admiring the view.”

 

Toni giggles softly as she puts on her big shirt and yesterday’s underwear. She then grabs the blanket covering Cheryl, tossing the girl her robe. She needs them both to be covered, should Sweet Pea try and look up there.

 

“Get dressed,” she orders.

 

“Yes dear,” Cheryl jokes and complies, but not before stretching to give Toni a glimpse of what she was working with last night.

 

“I hope you have a nice scarf,” Toni smirks, “because you have so many hickeys people might think you’ve just gone at it with a vacuum.”

 

There is no mirror anywhere, but Cheryl has no reason not to believe her words, seeing as some of the skin around her neck and collarbone does seem to feel especially sensitive this morning.

 

“The same goes for you,” Cheryl counters, looking incredibly smug as she admires her handiwork.

 

“This isn’t over,” Toni promises, leaning back into Cheryl’s warm embrace.

 

If she doesn’t start moving now, she won’t be able to walk away from her, for however brief it may be. Besides, she has no particular desire to be caught by Sweet Pea, and she’s sure Cheryl feels the same way. So she leans into Cheryl’s lips for a matter of seconds, before pulling away with a satisfied hum.

 

“Let me go down and get Sweet Pea out of the way,” she says, “and then you can sneak out of here.”

 

Cheryl pulls her in for another peck, as she nods.

 

“I’m going to miss your lips,” she mutters loudly enough for Toni to hear, “and everything attached to them.”

 

She’s keeping her. That phone call might be the best mistake they ever made.


	3. This is not a fairytale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheryl has been left behind by Toni, so when Toni returns she has questions that have never been answered, and feelings that have never been resolved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

**Black:**

_ mystery, anger, fear and evil. _

 

**This is not a fairytale (rated T)**

 

The air was thick with smoke and the buzzing haze of glaring neon signs. Entering the Whyte Wyrm was much like entering an impenetrable mist of broken sentences and roaring wildebeest. It reeked of stale beer and chunks of peanuts that were forever lost in the thick carpet of the venue. From the yard behind the bar Cheryl could make out the howls of rapid hounds. Even if she was never one to fear the unknown, the Whyte Wyrm had a tendency to get under her skin. The patrons were of no comfort either. All around the room, sitting on stools by the bar, brawling by the pool tables, Southside Serpents observed anyone who entered. Cheryl did too. Every glance she threw across the room was made with a purpose, looking for familiar features and signature pink hair. Yet, as so many times before, the object of her desires was nowhere to be found.

 

She took faint comfort in the presence of Betty, Veronica and even Archie, as they huddled around Jughead by a crooked table at the very back of the room. He was going on about his latest conspiracy against one Hiram Lodge, and while Cheryl knew it was important, she had long ago grown tired of his speeches of treachery and dishonesty. She jumped as he flung his fist against the table with a fury.

 

“We need to do something already!” he declared ceremoniously, “before he destroys Riverdale once and for all!”

 

“Jug, isn’t that what you said last time too?” Betty interjected. Cheryl grinned, thankful that she didn’t seem to be the only one who recognized the eerie sense of deja vu.

 

“Maybe it was,” he narrowed his eyes, “but this time it’s for real. It’s war.”

 

“How come we never meet anywhere pleasant? Why do you insist on dragging us to this, rustic yet far from charming, pit of snakes?” Cheryl asked, turning her nose up at her surroundings. This was nothing like the usual gatherings she attended. In addition to the obvious rotten atmosphere, her senses were overwhelmed by smells and sensations she had desperately tried to bury over the past few months. 

 

“This is the only place we know Hiram doesn’t have any ears,” Jughead crossed his arms, “so unless you want to become a target for his dirty business, I’d get used to it.”

 

“Never mind that guys,” Archie leaned across the table with an earnest expression on his face, “how are we going to fight mr. Lodge? As you said, he’s all over. He’ll know if we try anything.”

 

“We hit him from the inside,” Jughead said, “which is where you, Veronica, come into the picture.”

 

“What a surprise,” said girl quipped.

 

“We make him believe you’re in serious danger,” her protests went unheard, “and demand that he remove his business from the Southside in turn for your safe return.”

 

“That’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard,” Cheryl interjected, watching Veronica nod in agreement, “how would that ever work? He’ll just get her back and immediately place himself back in the Southside. Not that I care much for this side of the tracks anyhow, yet I find I am physically unable to resist pointing out the flaws in your logic.”

 

“I suppose you have a better plan then,” Jughead threw his hands in the air, challenging her to think of something better.

 

“Actually, I do,” Cheryl perked up, folding her hands upon the edge of the table, “stop giving him a reason to create problems for you lot. I know you think you and your little gang of misfits toys can do no wrong and deserve an entire territory for yourselves, but let’s face it - you’re a band of drug dealers and violent criminals. Can you truly blame Hiram Lodge for wanting to get rid of you?”

 

The others gaped at her, Betty shaking her head every so slightly. It was only in that stunned minute of silence that Cheryl noticed the eyes of several nearby Serpents on her. So maybe she should have taken into account where she was. However, she meant every word. If they had a problem with it, they could feel free to tell her so. The one person she knew would object vehemently was nowhere to be seen, par usual. 

 

“We’re a family, Cheryl,” Jughead finally spoke, slinking back in his seat, “and even if we happen to be a family of black sheeps, we’re still a family. We stick together, against slimy bastard such as Hiram. We’ve been forced to do things none of us like for much too long, because of men like him. Men like your father, too.”

 

Cheryl’s hands clutched at the edge of the table, nails digging into rotting wood. Her teeth ground together in a disturbing parody of a smile, red lips dripping with venom as she spoke; “I’ve paid for my dad’s sins for much too long, Jughead. You of all people should know that your legacy bears no importance in the end. I decide who I am. And I am a person who isn’t afraid to tell you when you are just plain  _ wrong _ .”

 

She stood, pushing her chair out from under the table and straightening her back to tower above the others.

 

“I’m getting a drink.”

 

The trail to the bar was all too familiar, her feet easily retracing old steps. She felt the people closest to her give her knowing looks, some angry, some bitter, and some so bloody sympathetic it made her blood boil. She was used to the other students at school knowing about her tragic past, about the horrors her family had subjected her to. However, the pity she felt radiating off the ever shifting bodies in the Whyte Wyrm was there for entirely different reasons. They all looked at her if she was a puzzle with a key piece missing. Incomplete. 

 

It occurred to her that what she was missing wasn’t just blatantly obvious to herself, but also to the people who had watched her gain what she needed, only to lose it again. She could only be grateful that the news had never reached Jughead, as he would be sure to make a celebration out of her inescapable suffering. Pushing past the throng of people surrounding the pool tables, she felt a strong hand tug at her shoulder. She spun on her heels, prepared to verbally attack whoever dared lay their filthy serpent hands on her body. Yet when her eyes met those of Sweet Pea, her posture relaxed. The two had delved into an inexplicable friendship, fueled by their shared understanding of one particular person whose company they had in common. He released her shoulder and placed both hands on the tip of the cue stick in his arms. He leaned into it, furrowing his brows as he looked at her. Then he let his eyes drift around the room, before settling in on hers again.

 

“She’s back,” he said quietly.

 

It felt as if he had sucked the breath out of Cheryl with a single blow. 

 

“Where?” she breathed.

 

“Outside.”

 

Her feet carried her by their own accord, while her brain screamed at her to stop moving, to stay away. It was as if she was willingly throwing herself into the heat of a burning building, ignoring the irrefutable fact that it could collapse at any given moment. Through the haze that was the beating of her heart in her own ears, she heard Betty calling out her name. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Jughead holding Betty back by the shoulder, shaking his head solemnly. Maybe he had heard after all.

 

The door hit the brick wall outside with such force that for a second she thought she might’ve actually managed to ruin it. Yet it stayed solidly on it’s hinges, fluctuating back and forth in the pale light of the electric bug killers overhead. At the corner of the building, stood a figure that Cheryl would’ve recognized anywhere, leaning against a vending machine as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Shadows fell heavily upon her lithe features, hiding her from Cheryl’s wandering eyes. She had always known exactly how to conceal just enough of herself to keep you guessing. All that illuminated her delicate skin was the tip of a burning cigarette, mirroring the sparks in her treacherous eyes, as she gazed heavenwards at the night skies.

 

“Toni.”

 

Pink, dirt-streaked hair swung gingerly across the wind as she turned her head, eyes locking directly with Cheryl. It was as if her rib cage caved inwards, her lungs puncturing and letting in the fragments. The way Toni looked at her as if she was something insignificant, as opposed to someone who had shared her pain and her joy for the most strenuous months of her life. As if they hadn’t sat awake for hours at the edge of Sweetwater River, Toni coaxing secrets out of her relentlessly, scraping her soul bare. As if she hadn’t made herself so eerily acquainted with the innermost workings of her fragile mind. 

 

“Cheryl Bombshell,” that venomous drawl, the one that haunted Cheryl in her dreams, spoke. She dragged out the name as she dragged out her breath, smoke falling from her lips like strands of translucent honey.

 

Pulled closer by the distinct memory of comfort surrounding the other girl, Cheryl stepped forwards, crossing her arms self-consciously across her chest. Only as she came to a halt right before the shorter girl, did she notice the deep cut that ran through her perfectly arched eyebrow, the profound splatters of blue scattered across her jaw, cheek and eye. Dried blood clung to her cracked lips with a fervor, painting a picture of pain and suffering. She looked nothing like she had when Cheryl last saw her.

 

She recalled the familiar contours of her body under the chalk white sheets of her bed. How Toni’s marred skin had felt infinitely warm beneath her fingertips, as if there was lava burning within her chest, a volcano waiting to erupt. How her face had been the picture of complete innocence, such a stark contrast to the mask she usually wore - the one who spoke of a woman who had been crossed one to many times, a woman who had been beaten down so many times that she was now determined to stay up despite everything the world had to throw at her. Despite the undeniable demeanor of pain that plagued Toni’s features, Cheryl had made up her mind that it was not her place to worry. She was in every right not to care. 

 

“Why are you here?” her voice was dripping with ice, and had Toni been anyone else she would have recoiled in fright. Yet Toni had never once let Cheryl intimidate her, so of course she stepped closer, grinning with the bravoda Cheryl had grown accustomed to.

 

“Maybe I missed you,” she said. The laugh that escaped Cheryl felt hollow, even to her own ears.

 

“We both know you didn’t,” her lips tightened to a thin line, and she took a step back from the other girl. The closer she got, the more enticing her lips looked, and the closer Cheryl came to losing her resolve. She so desperately wanted to reach out and soothe the pain written upon Toni’s face. Wanted to help her erase all the signs of the hell she had no doubt escaped from.

 

“Maybe you’re right,” Toni took a drag of the cigarette between her fingers, plumb lips wrapping around the edge with grace, “maybe it has nothing to do with you.”

 

“Doesn’t it?” Cheryl challenged.

 

“Why would it?”

 

“Because maybe you realized that there is more to life than your own, petty existence,” her smile was humorless, her eyes void of any emotions.

 

“You sure make me sound like an awful person,” Toni was smiling now, rolling the cigarette between her index finger and her thumb, ashes dropping to the ground between the pair. It fell like snow onto her heavy, black boots, burning through the dried coat of mud.

 

“Maybe that’s because that is exactly what you are to me.”

 

Toni stepped closer to her once more, and Cheryl gasped as her back collided with a thick wooden post, preventing any further movement. A flutter of… something, passed over Toni’s eyes, softening them for all of a split second. Then every muscle in her face tightened to a wall of carefully constructed control, saturated with a coldness that Cheryl had never seen before. It was frightening, washing over her with roaring authority, forcing her eyes closed as she felt heated breaths against her chin.

 

“I was nothing but gentle with you,” Toni’s words were cut short, as if she was forcing them out against her better knowledge, “I always wanted what was best for you. Always did what was best for you.”

 

“Then why’d you leave?” Cheryl sighed, eyelids fluttering open as she met the thundering gaze of Toni.

 

Toni took a step back, bending her head to look to the ground. She threw the burned out filter of her cigarette to the ground, before reaching into her leather jacket to grab a new one from the pack of Marlboro Golds she carried with her. She swore under her breath as she tucked it between her lips and fumbled with her dull silver lighter. It refused to ignite, and her soft murmurs turned to throaty growls of frustration.

 

When it finally lit, she inhaled with such strength that Cheryl was amazed that she managed not to choke. Her eyes still cast on the ground, Cheryl gathered the courage to step closer.

 

“That’s a disgusting habit,” she spoke softly.

 

“You always said that.”

 

“And I still do,” Cheryl chuckled darkly, grabbing the cigarette from between Toni’s lips and placing it between her own. She took a short drag before handing it back to the other girl, who was now watching her with rapt attention. She exhaled and let the smoke move to caress Toni’s face with its alluring hands. The way Toni’s eyes fell shut with such childlike wonder at her actions, tugged at the fence Cheryl had raised around her heart. 

 

“What happened to you?” she asked, cursing her own mind for failing to reel in the wants of her heart.

 

Toni laughed, not a trace of humor in her eyes. A barely noticeable wince passed across her features, and she grasped at her chest through her blood-spattered shirt. Then she straightened, a confident smirk finding its way onto her lips, revealing white teeth that stood out in an almost grotesque manner against the darkness that otherwise encompassed her.

 

“What didn’t happen, you mean,” her eyes twinkled in a way that spoke of sadistically pleasure, “I gave the Ghoulies a night they won’t be quick to forget. While Jughead is busy fighting for the Northsiders, the rest of us have to take matters into our own hands. And my hands have been strangling a lot of matters lately.”

 

“What did you do, to them?” Cheryl couldn’t help but ask.

 

“Don’t ask me questions you don’t want to hear the answer to.”

 

So that was how she was going to play it. Nothing new there. Toni had always been remarkably secretive about her actions as a prominent member of the Southside Serpents, sparing Cheryl of the most gory details. All she knew, was that if someone came too close to the people Toni considered family, they would come to regret ever doing so. She recalled walking in on Sweet Pea and Toni kicking the bloodied figure of a man a few years their senior, a petrified Fangs looking on. She had always wondered what prompted this violent treatment of the man, yet Toni refused to tell her. 

 

“Okay,” Cheryl nodded, tapping her chin in thought, “then let me ask you something else.”

 

Toni hummed in anticipation, wide eyes meeting Cheryl’s expectantly.

 

“Why’d you leave, Toni?”

 

A grimace erupted on Toni’s face, stretching the cut on her lip so that it nearly began bleeding once more. 

 

“You know I had to,” she spoke calmly, “not just for me, but for your safety. My family needed me, and I couldn’t protect them with you as a chain around my neck.”

 

“Is that what I was to you?” Cheryl felt heat rising to her face, painting her face with the anger that flooded within her, “a stone, dragging you down? Keeping you from reaching your true, criminal potential?”

 

“I told you not to ask if you weren’t willing to hear the answer,” Toni said, eyes hardening as she stepped up to Cheryl, “I never fucked around with you. I never lied.”

 

“Except you did,” Cheryl felt her eyes begin to water, but breathed deeply to keep her emotions at bay, “you told me you would be there for me. Through anything.”

 

“And I was,” the pink-haired girl insisted.

 

“Until you weren’t.”

 

Toni hissed as her cigarette burned the skin between her fingers, having long since forgotten that she had lit it at all. She mouthed a series of choice words, throwing the stub away with a harsh flick of the wrist.

 

“This isn’t a fucking romance novel, Cheryl,” she sucked at the burnt spot briefly before speaking through gritted teeth, “this world is bigger than us. There’s a bigger purpose than falling in love and chasing the flipping stars until we die happily in each other’s arms.”

 

“I know that,” Cheryl snapped, “why do you insist on talking to me as if I’m a child?”

 

“Why shouldn’t I?” Toni laughed once more, further feeding the tightly coiled knot of anger within Cheryl’s chest, “you’re not an adult at all. You’re just a tall kid, holding a drink and having a conversation you don’t even understand.”

 

“I wonder why I ever thought I loved you,” Cheryl remarked. Her voice was laced with poison, twisting into the cool, evening air like a snake curled around a sharp knife.

 

“I wonder why I ever thought you could understand,” Toni replied, “you know, you were so eager to know why I left, you never bothered to find out why I came back.”

 

“Why did you?”

 

“Because I thought I could apologize to you, that maybe it wasn’t too late,” she adjusted the lapels of her leather jacket with bloodied knuckles, “fat chance, huh? I see I came back only to find that you’ve decided to hate me while I was gone.”

 

“I don’t hate you, Toni,” it pained Cheryl to admit it, but she was so far gone in her own emotional haze that she barely registered what she was saying, “I just care so much that it hurts, and I need that feeling to go away. You don’t know how it felt, to wake up and find you weren’t there. To wait for weeks on end to see if you might return. You ran from it all, without telling me why. You didn’t stop and think that maybe I would miss you like hell. But I guess it’s my fault for getting attached to someone like you. I suppose I knew it was bound to end.”

 

They’d inched ever closer to each other, breaths mingling in the miniscule space between their lips. Cheryl could smell the smoke radiating off of Toni’s body, and the sweet scent of rum and coke that penetrated through the harsh smell. And when Toni kissed her, it felt as if her lips would explode and her heart would fall straight into Toni’s waiting hands, just hoping to God she would catch it this time.

 

It was over as quick as it began. While the kiss had been bruising and oh-so passionate in its fleeting moment of existence, it was nothing but a hasty act of unconfined love. Toni rested their foreheads together and sighed deeply, eyes closed.

 

“I really am sorry,” she whispered.

 

“I know.”

 

And within seconds she was gone, leaving Cheryl to grasp after a fleeting shadow, a darkness too far away to embrace, growing longer at the distance between them, before finally engulfing her and leaving her to live in the memory of this bittersweet love. The love that had once seemed so full of possibilities, but now left her with nothing but a sour taste on her tongue and the lingering stench of smoke in her nostrils.

 

Biting back sobs that were threatening to wrack her entire body, she made a final vow.

 

Next time, she would feel nothing.


	4. Strangers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two strangers collide in an unexpected place, creating magic that was never there before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

**Red:**

_passion, heat, lust and desire_

**  
Strangers (rated M)**

Cheryl really had no clue how Kevin had managed to convince her to go out with that night. He had practically jumped her in the hallway, nearly making her spill her frappuccino all over her white fur coat. Had that actually happened, she sure as all hell would not be going _anywhere_ with him. Murder might have been more likely, actually. And if he hadn’t looked at her with those big, puppy dog eyes, that shone with the sadness of every tortured, gay soul ever, she would be at home, in the comfort of her own king sized bed. However, the fact of the matter was that she simply hadn’t been able to say no.

 

So she found herself standing in the corner of the room of a stranger’s house, watching Kevin take tequila shots straight from the bellybutton of a random, albeit very attractive, guy from the next town over. She herself was only on her second rum and coke, and had to admit to feeling a slight buzz from even just that. Yet it was far from enough to take away from the atmosphere in the room.

 

The smell of of stale beer and sweaty teenagers overwhelmed her, and her head was spinning uncomfortably. She squared her shoulders and braced herself against the never ending stream of bodies moving past her, seemingly unable to even try and avoid bumping into her. That was how she could tell no one at this party knew her - they weren’t petrified at the sight of her. Her brows sat low above her eyes, and her mouth was drawn closed in a tight, painful line as she silently cursed Kevin for abandoning her in favor of some brainless jock.

 

She stared wistfully at the permanently open door, which had long since been thrown off its hinges by a gang of overly eager football players. It was a less than necessary display of masculine strength, that she failed to see the point of. It seemed miles away through the throng of people. She resigned herself to the fact that she would not be leaving in the near future, and so moved instinctually towards the kitchen, where something interesting seemed to be happening.

 

She carefully pushed through the crowd, muttering polite apologies to unhearing ears. Not until she reached the doorway leading to the kitchen did she breathe properly. She craned her neck over the shoulders of her towering peers, attempting to catch a glimpse of the commotion. Suddenly, a loud cheer sounded throughout the room, and lifted arms and excited pushes knocked her back forcibly. A pair of uncertain arms caught her, and she glanced up into the eyes of her savior. A gangly boy, probably a freshman, smiled at her, apparently thinking himself quite charming. She locked him with a glare and pushed away from him, huffing indignantly. Keep dreaming, loverboy.

 

It appeared as if some sort of game was taking place. Beer pong, she figured. Although she didn’t know any of the pairs competing, it seemed quite obvious which team the rest of the crowd was cheering for. She could only see the players the furthest away from her, a pair of jocks, eyes swimming with alcohol, both moving unsteadily on their feet. It made sense, seeing as they only had one cup left, and at the rate the party was going, it certainly hadn’t been the only drinks the boys would have had so far. They did give their competition a run for their money though, as the other team had a mere two cups left in their end.

 

The crowd erupted in cheers as the one jock shot, and just barely missed, and the one player on the other team threw himself across the table, grasping at the ball. His hair was coiffed, nearly unmoving, and Cheryl had to wonder about the amount of hairspray that feat would have required. A leather jacket clung tightly to his broad shoulders, and Cheryl felt a shockwave sweep across her as she realized that this could potentially be someone who would recognize her. The boy caught the ball and whooped triumphantly, riling the crowd up. He jumped excitedly, flipping off his opponents before passing the ball to his teammate.

 

That’s when Cheryl got her first glimpse of the enigmatic stranger, as her eyes trailed from the slender fingers clutching the bright orange ball, to her slim, yet toned arms, her athletic shoulders, all the way to her chiseled jawline and strong features. Carefully coiffed curls framed her angelic face, pink of all colours, and Cheryl felt a strange heat emerge within her. The girl truly was gorgeous, and the air of superiority that surrounded her at that very moment indicated that she was well aware of that.

 

Cheryl watched with bated breath as she took aim, and with a graceful flick of the wrist she sunk the tiny ball into the only remaining cup on the jocks’ side of the table. She found herself uncharacteristically impressed with this display of skill. Adding to that, was the smug satisfaction she felt as she saw the taller of the boys suppress a gag at the golden liquid he would now have to down. He did indeed look like a man who had perhaps drank one too many already. The crowd booed as he tried to hand it off to his teammate, who was already attempting a pathetic escape towards the back door.

 

Meanwhile, the winning pair engaged in some sort of elaborate handshake, one that Cheryl had no doubt they had spent hours practicing, or that might have come about after years of friendship. The guy bounced around, bright brown eyes brimming with scarcely concealed inebriation. He seemed to discover her intrusion into the male-dominated crowd, and nudged the pinkhaired girl’s shoulder before nodding towards Cheryl. She looked on in confusion, their display puzzling her. The girl turned towards her, and a contagious smile stretched across her face, revealing pearly white teeth. Cheryl barely noticed her move to approach her, enamored with her smile. She was only made aware of her direct attention when she bounced into view right beside her.

 

“You’re new,” she stated, circling her like a wild animal stalking its prey, “and sober. Wait here.”

 

She was gone as quickly as she had appeared, leaving Cheryl to ponder if she had even been there in the first place. However, she quickly returned, carrying two cups, filled to the brim with a bright orange liquid. She handed one to her, and her smile was somehow reassuring enough to convince her to accept it. Cheryl watched her take a big gulp, before mirroring her actions. It didn’t taste as toxic as it looked, she had to admit.

 

“I’m Toni,” the girl extended her hand, “I could’ve sworn you were cuter at a distance, but I see now that I was terribly mistaken. _You_ are _gorgeous_.”

 

Cheryl laughed, accepting Toni’s hand and blushing faintly as she kissed the top of hers with a dramatic swooping motion, before letting it fall gently to her side.

 

“That may be, but I’m also Cheryl,” she stated.

 

Toni tapped the side of her head keenly.

 

“Heard, copied, remembered,” she assured Cheryl, “I will fight bravely against the powers of alcohol to not forget that in the morning.”

 

“Is that so?” Cheryl cocked one eyebrow at the girl at took a sip of her drink, “and how do you suppose you’ll do that?”

 

“Well, Cheryl, I am sure I could never forget should you do me the honor of a dance,” she said, and Cheryl once against blushed. This girl seemed nothing if not friendly, and she felt a strange sense of familiarity and safety as she let Toni lead her between the thrusting teenagers around them, onto the makeshift dance floor. She maintained an appropriate distance to her as they moved to the heavy beat, moving their arms back and forth in an over the top sawing movement.

 

Cheryl was convinced she had never felt as free as she did in that moment. One that had been born from a seemingly random encounter, with this girl that had stumbled into her life with nothing but a warm smile and a cocktail. The fact that the girl was wearing a Serpent jacket didn’t even deter her in that moment, as it seemed obvious that Toni did in fact not know who Cheryl was - thank god. She was sick and tired of the looks and the pointed whispers.

 

They danced for a few minutes, the air growing increasingly hot as they moved enthusiastically. They moved ever closer, until their fronts were nearly pressed together, separated by no more than an inch, and a smirk crossed Toni’s lips.

 

“What?” Cheryl asked, breathless.

 

Toni’s smirk just grew, and she shrugged. Without a word she closed the remaining distance between them, her hands moving to clutch at Cheryl’s hips as they moved fluidly together. Cheryl’s mouth dropped open in an ‘o’ shape, as she felt the heat of the other girl engulf her completely. Their faces were close together, although Cheryl tried to remain at a somewhat respectable distance, fighting her instinct which was telling her to just let things happen.

 

Toni seemed to have no such qualms, leaning in so their cheeks were brushing as she whispered in Cheryl’s ear.

 

“You’re really fucking beautiful.”

 

The warm breath made Cheryl shiver. This wasn’t the voice of the eager girl she had met only moments ago, no, this was a low, perfectly controlled whisper that seemed to lick at her earlobe as she spoke. She felt a stirring deep down in her core, in part due to the sudden closeness, but mostly due to the words whispered to her. Their cheeks rested against one another, and Cheryl moved to wrap her arms around Toni’s neck.

 

Under normal circumstances, this scenario would seem unfathomable to Cheryl, the mere suggestion of it would have made her scoff. But here, in an unfamiliar town, in a house filled with strangers, people who had no clue who she was, she was intrigued. She blamed her lack of inhibitions mostly on the alcohol she had consumed, her body somewhat unaccustomed to its powerful effects. She neglected to respond, instead just letting Toni grind against her, moving sensually as she simply enjoyed _being_ , and the feeling of being desired.

 

Had she gone to this party with anyone but Kevin, she would have immediately concerned herself with the fact that people could see her, and that they would no doubt talk about her endeavors tomorrow. However, she felt completely safe. Should the boy look up from the pair of abs he had been licking when Cheryl left him, he would pass no judgement or ask any questions.

 

“So, Cheryl,” Toni breathed, the hum of her voice vibrating through Cheryl’s entire being, “what is a pretty girl like you doing at a raunchy party like this?”

 

Cheryl hummed at the question, taking the chance to showcase a bit of mystery as she responded, “just taking advantage of my youth.”

 

Taking advantage of you, she thought to herself.

 

“Why are you here? This isn’t Serpent territory,” she asked, curiosity getting the better of her. As far as she knew, it was unusual for the gang to move outside its own borders, the risk of confrontation and rivalry too high.

 

“Excellent question,” Toni said, squeezing Cheryl’s hip appreciatively, “club business.”

 

“Confidential?”

 

“Very,” Toni nodded solemnly, before breaking into a huge smile, “Fangs and I are here to scoop out some new clientele. Don’t you worry your pretty little head about stuff like that.”

 

“I’ll have you know that I have handled my fair share of underground endeavors,” Cheryl huffed indignantly, “your petty gang activities have nothing on my life.”

 

Toni laughed at that, and Cheryl felt a pang of annoyance at the motion. Although she wanted to be anonymous, she did not like being underrated. This girl might think she’s all that and more, with what was more than likely drug sales and unnecessary fist fights. Cheryl knew from her brief interactions with Jughead, that the Serpents weren’t big time criminals like most other gangs in the area. Hell, some might say they were _soft_. Her train of thought was interrupted as Toni looked into her eyes, as if searching for something, for answers to questions Cheryl didn’t know.

 

“I believe you,” Toni finally said, making Cheryl blink in surprise, “and I hope you’re okay, sure I do. But tonight we shouldn’t bother with that.”

 

“What do you suppose we do bother with?” Cheryl asked, perfectly plucked eyebrows raised in question.

 

“Something a bit more… fun,” a hand travelled from Cheryl’s waist to her ass, nimble fingers digging into the fabric of her shorts. The other hand slid to her back, caressing the skin that was left exposed by her crop top.

“Yeah?” Cheryl squeaked, blushing in embarrassment by her own response.

 

“Yeah,” Toni moved so that their foreheads were pressed together, eyes locked as she let her hands caress Cheryl’s figure with subtle touches. Cheryl felt as if she was being swallowed completely by the look in the other girl’s eyes, her pupils dilated and brown eyes dark with unvoiced passion. She was drinking her in with all the subtlety of a bull in a china shop.

 

Having had enough, Cheryl decided to make a move, determined not to be overthrown by some girl who didn’t even know her. She wasn’t some giggly school girl. She was Cheryl freaking Blossom.

 

So she moved in close, lips hovering directly above Toni’s. Cheryl would have smirked at the way the other girl’s breath hitched, had it not been for the fact that she experienced the same thing. She could clearly smell the alcohol on Toni’s breath, and the sweet scent of her perfume. She radiated warmth. Her hold on Cheryl tightened, bracing herself for the inevitable fact that they were about to cross the point of no return.

 

Cheryl ran her nails across the back of Toni’s neck, eliciting a hum of appreciation from the other girl. Toni’s lips were parted in anticipation, shiny and incredibly soft-looking. When Toni moved her hand from Cheryl’s behind to cup her cheek, the redhead reached her limit.

 

The other girl’s lips were as soft as she had imagined, as their mouths moved together. Awkwardly at first, yet it quickly morphed into something entirely different. Hot, wanting, begging. Toni wasn’t shy of introducing Cheryl to the pleasures of having her lips bitten and nipped at, coaxing a moan from her.

 

They broke apart at the sound of hollering and whistling, and Cheryl blushed deeply as she realized that most of the people in the vicinity were cheering for them. Especially the jocks from earlier made a show of their appreciation, performing vulgar body rolls and thrusting motions in their general direction. Toni merely looked annoyed, as if she had forgotten they weren’t alone, but was now royally pissed at the interruption.

 

She cocked her head towards the doorway, and Cheryl nodded in confirmation. Toni grabbed her hand and began guiding her towards the exit, ignoring the prompts for high fives that were delivered on their way out. A few of the guys yelled out encouraging words along the lines of “go get some!” and “put that shit online!”

 

Cheryl ducked her head as she was led outside, and before long she found herself pressed against the side of the house, not a soul in sight, thankfully. The bass of the music being played inside seemed to pulse through the walls, the heated tones a stark contrast to the coldness of the bricks. She tugged at the lapel of Toni’s jacket, pulling the pinkhaired girl as close as possible. Expecting a resumption of their previous actions, she was disappointed to find that Toni was simply staring at her as she grabbed at Cheryl’s hips, thumbs tugged into the edge of her shorts. Toni licked her lips, entranced.

 

“What?” Cheryl demanded, feeling herself grow increasingly impatient.

 

“Nothing,” Toni said, eyes unmoving, “I just really like these.”

 

And then she kissed her, as if Cheryl was the only thing that mattered at that very moment, as if she meant _everything_. Cheryl’s eyelids fluttered, as she fought to regain her composure. Then Toni’s hands were back on her ass, and she pulled away just enough to mutter words that made Cheryl weak in the knees with pure arousal.

 

“And I like this,” the girl stated with complete certainty. Then her hands pushed towards Cheryl’s breasts, cupping them above her bra, “and I think I could like these a whole lot too.”

 

“Shut up,” Cheryl breathed, “and fucking kiss me.”

 

Toni was more than happy to oblige, locking their lips together once more. Their tongues danced, both eager to explore every crevice of the other. Cheryl’s back arched as she pushed into Toni’s touch, gasping as Toni’s cold fingers pushed her bra down for better access. Her nipples grew hard as the girl cupped her breasts once more, the coolness of her touch making her toes curl.

 

She was denied too much movement, Toni pushing against her with one leg separating her thighs and her motions rough. She was forced against the wall with increased ferocity, as Toni claimed complete control from her willing hands. She gave in, figuring she was too far gone to try and reclaim the power. Besides, the way Toni was pinching and twisting her sensitive nipples while simultaneously biting at her bottom lip, left little room for concentration.

 

The girl’s eager mouth moved from her swollen lips, leaving them tingling pleasantly as she placed open mouthed kisses from her jaw to her neck. Her teeth grazed Cheryl’s pulse, and she pushed her thigh against Cheryl’s core with a sharp movement that sent a fire blazing through her. She dug her nails into the smooth fabric of her leather jacket, scratching at embroidered patches.

 

Toni smirked against her neck, Cheryl feeling the pull of her lips growing slightly frustrated by the other girl's cockiness. Yet she can't find it within herself too care all that much, especially not as she feels Toni slide her palm across the front of her shorts, applying pressure in an attempt to make Cheryl respond. She succeeds, as a moan falls from the redhead's lips.

 

Encouraged, she unbuttoned Cheryl's shorts and pushed them down slightly, creating easy access to her soaked core. Cheryl was just aware enough to survey their surroundings, ensuring that there wasn’t anyone watching or listening in. Her worries are squashed to the back of her mind with Toni's movements. Her fingers moved across her most intimate parts, feeling her heat through the thin fabric of her panties. She hummed at the feeling of her wetness, pressing further into Cheryl with her entire being, just barely leaving enough room for Cheryl to breathe.

 

She was holding her tightly against the wall, using her free hand to capture her there as she leaned into the bricks. Her mouth found its way back to Cheryl's lips, and this kiss is by far the most heated one they've shared, both struggling for breath, fighting their urges to just give in completely and get it done. It's clear from the way Toni was almost clawing at her underwear, attempting to get it as far out of her way as possible due to their current position.

 

As soon as she had access, she coated her fingers with Cheryl's own juices, before plunging a finger inside the girl. Cheryl moaned loudly at the intrusion, grabbing at Toni's hair with one hand, the other still leaving permanent indents in the leather with her sharp nails. Toni was quick to set the pace, moving Cheryl's hips along with her own, keeping them at a steady rhythm. Cheryl's head fell back, the back of her skull digging into the wall. The combination of the cool bricks and Toni's incredibly warm body drives her crazy, and she wishes they were somewhere warmer, somewhere that Toni could engulf her completely.

 

Although, with the arousal coursing through her at that very moment, she couldn't care less. Any place would do really, as proven by their current predicament. She should care that they're at the risk of being discovered at any given moment, but Toni is curling her finger inside of her and she swears she has never felt this good before. Location be damned, she gave in to the sensations flooding her senses.

 

Even with the brisk breeze blowing across them, she could smell her own wetness in the autumn air. Toni is kissing at her neck and collarbone, and Cheryl pants and moans as the pressure within her builds. She knows they haven't been going at it for that long, but with the way she's been craving Toni since she first saw her in the kitchen, she isn't surprised in the slightest. This is exactly what she has been needing.

 

"God, Toni," she gasped as the girl picked up the pace, circling her clit with her thumb as she fights to satisfy Cheryl as much as physically possible.

 

"Fuck, you're gorgeous," Toni's voice came out husky and rough, as if her mouth and throat are completely dried out.

 

"Fuck me harder," Cheryl insisted, "I need more, I need you."

 

She doesn't need to say more to get the message across. Toni pushing one more finger inside of her, letting her adjust for a mere second before she returns to an unforgiving pace. Cheryl felt her walls tighten, every muscle in her body tensing up as she approached her climax.

 

"Come for me, Cheryl," Toni leaned up to whisper in her ear, and it's enough to push the redhead over the edge. She twitches and spasms around Toni's fingers, a string of profanities spilling from her red lips as she feels every nerve in her body tingle. Toni continues to move her fingers inside of her, slower this time. She doesn't let Cheryl rest, pushing for another orgasm. Cheryl almost protests, but she is soon overwhelmed by pleasure once more, and her words become lost in her throat.

 

She isn't sure how Toni is doing it, but her second orgasm follows almost immediately after the first one. She might have magic powers. With a few final thrusts, she lets Cheryl ride it out before withdrawing from within her. She captures her lips, this kiss a little less insisting, more of a finalizing of events than an engager of actions.

 

Cheryl fights to calm her body back down. She feels fulfilled in every way, despite the beads of sweat that roll down her forehead. Toni moved her own fingers to her mouth and licked Cheryl's juices from her digits, a look of outright bliss crossing her delicate features. She lessens the pressure on Cheryl's being, allowing her to move slightly away from the wall behind her. Cheryl is still holding on to her for dear life, using her as an anchor dragging her back into the world of reality. The world where she is standing against a stranger's house, incredibly lucky to not have been caught, and feeling extremely well and truly satiated.

 

When she looked at Toni, the Serpent was smiling from ear to ear, looking smug as ever. Cheryl couldn’t blame her, she did do an amazing job. Despite their surroundings, she managed to make her forget all about the situation, making her surrender completely to the feelings she allowed her to feel.

 

"You're welcome," Toni pressed a chaste kiss to her lips, and Cheryl rolled her eyes, "something told me you needed that."

 

"What do you know about what I need?" Cheryl scoffed, feeling a sense of normality returning to her mind.

 

"We all need it sometimes," Toni said simply, shrugging as if it was no big deal.

 

Cheryl hates to admit that the other girl is right, although they can both tell that it's most definitely the case. She doesn't need some stranger, a Serpent even, to think she holds any kind of power over her.

 

"It was fun, I'll admit that," she resorts to saying.

 

"That's all I need to hear," Toni nodded.

 

"So what happens now?"

 

"Now? Well, it's a beautiful night. Would be a shame to let it go to waste. I know a place we can go," Toni said, "if you trust me."

 

"I don't," Cheryl smirked, "but I'll go anyway."

 

Consequences be damned, she is going to enjoy herself. It's not like she'll see the girl ever again anyways.

 


	5. Milk Bottles and Sweaty Palms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni isn't having the best summer, until she is suddenly faced with a girl who could brighten it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

**Yellow:  
**

_warmth, spontaneity, and enlightenment._

__  
**Milk Bottles and Sweaty Palms (rated T)** __  


 

It’s an unyielding scorcher of a summer, the kind that makes people wish they had never asked for warmth, even back in the dead cold of winter. It’s a thick, smothering sort of heat, the kind of weather that sends the masses flocking to town pools, bearing minimum clothing and a permanent sheen of of sweat.

She could have been working at the mall.

Such is Toni Topaz’s thinking as she tugs a stray strand of hair behind her ear, for what is probably the tenth time in the past minute alone. It’s such a pertinent observation she decides to say it out loud, on the grounds that complaining is usually more effective when it’s directed at someone. “We could be working at the mall right now.”

Veronica, flat on her back on top the counter and her knees drawn up, doesn’t even lift her head. She just opens one eye and arches a perfectly drawn eyebrow in Toni’s direction, faux incredulous. “What? Leave all of this? I could never.”

Wearily, Toni looks around at their all this: a cramped games booth at the embarrassingly named Funtown Theme Park. They’re confined to the space between the counter and the table that holds up three pyramids of milk bottles, and there are stuffed animals hanging just overhead. A puny little tabletop fan sputters as it rotates back and forth in a vain attempt at cooling the entire space.

Toni groans, gathering her sweat damp hair into a half hearted ponytail and looping it through the back of her black baseball cap, emblazoned with the name of the park and an exclamation point that is trying way too hard. “My hair’s fucking disgusting.”

Veronica sits up enough to shoot her a triumphant smirk as she pats her own hair gingerly. “I wish I could relate, sweetie.” She waves a hand at her face and hair, which is somehow still in pristine condition. She looks much more like someone fresh out of a fashion editorial than a puny theme park employee. Veronica’s the only employee in the park exempt from wearing the hat as part of her uniform - perks of being the owner’s daughter.

Toni rolls her eyes. “Unfair.”

She gestures to her own wild mane, which is barely being contained in her current updo. Veronica grins. “Give it a few days, and my dad’ll be pushing to transfer you to the haunted house.”

“Fuck you,” Toni flips her a lazy bird and Veronica lays back down, assuming her usual working position. The only time Veronica spends not on the counter are the rare occasions when there are three customers at a time, crowding the counter space. To be fair the booth probably doesn’t need two workers, so their division of labor has ended up quite simple: Veronica lounges while occasionally shouting out crowd attracting banter; Toni takes money, distributes baseballs, sets up fallen bottles, and hands out prizes.

So, basically, anything that requires more than the bare minimum of exertion, is left up to Toni. She doesn’t mind, per say, and even if she did, she probably wouldn’t tell. It’s a small price to pay to avoid yelling out inane things to the crowd, anyways. Veronica actually seems to enjoy it. Her voice always goes an octave or two deeper, as she rushes her words in a parody of an old time carney. It’s hard to tell if the customers it attracts always get the parody, but then that’s neither here nor there. They just need the customers to show up, no matter what their motivation to do so.

Their view across the way is comprised of Josie’s small caricature stand. Veronica has one of herself hanging on the wall of their booth; when she does have to get down from the counter to make room, she likes to stand right next to it and adopt the same cartoonish, sultry expression. Very Jessica Rabbit of her. Next to Josie’s stand is Sweet Pea and Fangs’ refreshment trailer, which Fangs has managed to turn into a performance. People love him, and by association Sweet Pea, and sometimes when it’s slow, Veronica likes to watch them and sigh wistfully, bemoaning her own underachieving partner.

“You have to step up your game, Topaz. The people expect a show. We have to become a damn comedy team, a force of nature; Poehler and Fey, Laurel and Hardy -”

“Thelma and Louise?”

“No thanks. I won’t be driving off any cliffs with you, Topaz. No offense, of course, just too much to live for.”

The rides loom in the distance, on the other side of the long row of exhibition tents. Ride jobs are supposedly more desirable, but Toni isn’t exactly gunning for a promotion. It seems like the same sort of monotony, just even more… monotonous. Here, at least, there are dead periods.

Not to mention the longer-than-technically-allowed breaks Veronica has to give Toni to make up for the amount of time she spends at the carousel, flirting with Betty Cooper.

Toni is debating vaulting over the counter and attempting to sweet talk Sweet Pea into giving her a lemonade - or, fuck, just anything cold - when Veronica decides to put in some effort.

“Step right up, step right up! Aim and fire, knock over the pyramid, win a prize, easy peasy, easy as pie, pie in the sky!” Toni snorts out a laugh. Carney convention requires Veronica to talk twice as fast as usual, which doesn’t always give her ample amount of time to come up with something that isn’t complete and utter nonsense. “No tricks here folks, standard issue milk bottles, 100 percent genuine, no glue involved. For an extra buck, we’ll even prove it!”

“An extra buck?” Toni asks idly. That one’s new. “I see why Hiram’s proud of you.”

“That’s the price of cynicism,” Veronica replies.

Toni spots them first, a couple drifting towards the booth, heads bent in what she has come to recognize as the pre-playing conversation: Boy casually promises to win prize for Girl. Girl assures him it’s not necessary, that games are a waste of money. Boy insists, on the grounds that knocking over milk bottles with a baseball in exchange for a cheap stuffed elephant will somehow prove his masculinity to Girl. Girl agrees, presumably because she genuinely wants a cheap, stuffed elephant.

This particular Girl though, a redhead, with a face set in stone and legs for days. She’s wearing a white crop top and red shorts, and even though it looks like most of her makeup has been sweated off, her lipstick is vibrant and seems as if it’s nearly tattooed on. She’s beautiful, in a way that is far from simple. The kind of beautiful that commands a room, forces you to pay attention - and doesn’t let you stop.

Which means she’s absolutely perfect for Toni’s favourite work indulgence; shameless flirting with the girl whose devotion is being bought through carnival prizes.

“I’ll take five,” the guy tells her, slapping down a wad of ones. Toni smoothly takes the money and hands over a bucket of baseballs, but her gaze is already focused on his girlfriend. She checks her out fully, even as she can feel the burning stare from the girl’s boyfriend on the side of her face.

Toni leans forward on the counter, flashing the girl a smile “So. What are you aiming for?”

The girl turns away from eyeing Veronica’s prostrate form with uneasy bemusement and stares at Toni, looking not only startled at being addressed, but also puzzled by her question. “The bottles?”

“No, that’s what he’s aiming for.” She flicks her head toward The Boyfriend, just as his first attempt thunks against the wall a good six inches wide. “Albeit unsuccessfully.”

The redhead lets out a laugh that scrunches her whole face, and goddamn, it’s adorable. The guy slides his offended look from Toni to his girlfriend.

“Relax, Archie. I’m looking.” She turns dutifully towards the bottles, but her eyes snap immediately back to Toni’s.

Toni casually pulls of her stupid hat, shaking her hair out of its ponytail, and gives the girl a winning smile. “I meant, what are you aiming for prize wise?”

A second ball goes too high. Toni waves a sardonic hand at the menagerie dangling above their heads. “Which of these adorable creatures got your attention?”

She gives a perfunctory scan of her options, then her eyes settle on Toni. “I didn’t have anything in mind.”

The third baseball sails between the different pyramids. Toni watches it, then shakes her head solemnly. “Probably for the best.”

The girl’s lips purse tightly with a suppressed smile that seems to burst through her eyes instead.

The fourth ball hits the edge of the table. Toni glances over and says dryly, “You know, you only win if you hit the bottles in front of you. It’s not a free for all situation.”

Boyfriend, apparently named Archie, which sounds like a joke if Toni’s ever heard one, cuts his eyes at Toni, spinning the last remaining baseball in his palms. “How much does it cost to turn off the commentary?”

“Touchy.” Toni lifts her eyebrows, then says in an undertone to the girl. “Is this your first date? Is that why he’s so fucking twitchy?”

She shakes her head. “Not exactly.”

“Lemme guess…” Toni leans a little closer, squinting with mock scrutiny. “Seventh?”

The grin that answers suggests she isn’t far off. The girl’s eyes won’t stay still, roving over Toni’s face with unguarded fascination, like she’s waiting for something to be revealed.

“Cheryl.” The boyfriend sounds put out, fixing her with a baffled look.

The girl - Cheryl - gives him an impatient look. “What, Archie, just go ahead.”

Toni smirks. “Maybe you should tell him you’ll still like him even if he can’t win you a stuffed vending machine animal.” Her eyes track back to Cheryl’s. “Or maybe you won’t. I don’t know you, maybe you’re really hard to please.”

Cheryl bites her goddamn lower lip, eyes dancing with amusement and something faintly like curiosity.

The fifth ball misses by two inches. “Shit.”

“That one was close, at least.” Cheryl tells him, although she looks far from impressed.

“Here,” Toni plucks a small blue giraffe off the hooks above her head. “Consolation prize.”

It’s always fun to see an overly confident high school jock sulk, and that’s definitely what’s happening with what’s-his-face. Archie. “I don’t need a consolation prize.”

“You’re not the one I’m consoling,” she presents the stuffed toy to Cheryl, who accepts it quite easily. “She’s the one with a boyfriend who can’t control his balls.”

Later, if Toni had to look back and pick the moment she was done for, it would be this one: the way this girl’s whole body lurches with the force of her laugh, the sound of it sputtering against tightly curled lips, snuffing out her nose.

Archie’s giving her this pouty, little wounded puppy look, and Cheryl rolls her eyes as she loops a conciliatory arm through his elbow, but Toni doesn’t notice, doesn’t care, just wants to make this girl laugh again.

Another stack of bills gets slapped down on the bar. “Another five.”

This is a familiar moment, and it is usually the time Girl rolls her eyes and tries to pull Boy away, trying to convince him it isn’t worth it, isn’t a big deal, but Cheryl doesn’t do that. She holds her stuffed toy, absently worrying the soft ears between her thumbs and forefingers, seeming perfectly content to stay right where she is.

“Maybe he should let you try,” Toni tells her.

Cheryl smirks. “Do you always bully your customers?”

“Only the ones with pretty girlfriends.”

The smile tilts, then opens up completely. Somewhere in her peripheral vision, Archie’s giving her a startled, confused look, but even though flustering The Boyfriend is usually half the fun of this activity, Toni has forgotten he’s there.

Regrettably, the fourth baseball makes direct contact with the pyramid, sending all the bottles toppling over. Archie lets out a whoop that’s just a shade too relieved.

“Good job.” Cheryl claps dutifully.

Shooting Toni an unnecessarily smug look, as if he was playing against her in the game, he points, businesslike, “Okay, we’ll take the stuffed puppy.”

“Archie,” Cheryl elbows him. “She already gave us a prize.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t win that one.”

Cheryl rolls her eyes. “Does it really matter? You want me to carry around two all day?”

“So give that one back!”

“Here,” Toni settles the argument by tossing a stuffed frog with bulgy eyes at Archie. “This can be yours.”

“I said we wanted the dog.”

Toni shrugs and makes a sad face. “You don’t get to choose. Company policy.”

The muscles in Cheryl’s face twitch and she meets Toni’s gaze, eyes going wide with a combination of amusement and admonishment. It’s a strange, knowing expression, and for just a second it feels bizarrely like they’ve known each other for much longer than five minutes.

“Come on, sweetie,” Cheryl loops an arm around Archie’s waist and tugs him away from the stand. “I’m dying for a drink.” She looks back at Toni as they walk away. “Bye. Thank you.”

Toni winks at her and then watches them go, overhearing Archie’s muttered, “Why the hell are you thanking her?”

“What. The. Ever. Living. Fuck?”

Toni whirls around, startled. She’d entirely forgotten about Veronica, who’s now staring at her in open mouthed, unfettered delight, and has even sat up in a ninety degree angle for the occasion. “At ease, soldier. Goddamn.”

There’s heat rising to her cheeks. Toni reaches for her hat and pulls it back over her head, rolling her eyes. “What?”

Veronica shakes her head, eyes gleaming with mirth. “You tell me.”

“I was just fucking about. Like always.”

“No, no, no. That was not like always. That was different. She was different,” Veronica chuckles, “Cheryl. Jesus Christ, sounds like the owner of a retirement home or something.”

“Aren’t you just thinking of one of the girls you went to prep school with?”

“Hey,” Veronica points at her sternly. “What’d I say about bringing that up? Think of my street cred.”

“Sure thing, Miss Lodge.”

“Hmmm. Red’s boyfriend isn’t the only one who’s touchy.” Veronica leans forward, pretending to scrutinize Toni’s expression. “Shit, Topaz, are you blushing?”

\------------------------------

She doesn’t flirt with anyone else for the rest of the day, and keeps having to level heated glares at Veronica, silently daring her to comment.

Toni keeps her eyes on the crowd, waiting. She’d oddly confident that Cheryl will be back.

But eventually, the sun sets, the lights come on, and a loudspeaker announces that there’s a mere hour left till the park closes. They haven’t seen Cheryl, with or without Archie, again.

Veronica seems to sense Toni’s irritated disappointment as she counts the money at the end of the day. She passes Toni one of the cold beers they keep hiding in the back of the minifridge under the counter. “Cheer up, Topaz. Probably for the best… I can’t have you stepping out on me.”

A lot of employees at the park are operating under the general assumption that Toni and Veronica are together, apparently being unable to draw any other conclusions about two lesbians spending their days locked in a booth together. It’s a misconception that the pair draws on quite often for amusement. “And anyway… she’ll always have that stuffed giraffe to remember you by. That was supposed to be you, right? Because of you impressive stature?”

Two seconds later, Veronica curses and vaults off the counter as Toni’s beer makes its way down the back of her shirt.

\----------------------------------

“Hey, Topaz. Check this out.”

Toni looks dutifully in the direction of Veronica’s pointing: at Josie’s caricature set up. She’s with a customer, a young guy in a varsity jacket. “So?”

“So, she’s been at it for like an hour. Usually Josie churns those things out in, what? Twenty minutes, tops?”

Bored, Toni returns to the book she’s surreptitiously reading below the counter. “And?”

“And when was the last time you saw a guy go on his own to get a drawing of himself? Without his girlfriend forcing him?” Veronica watches them for a moment. “I think it’s cute. Y’know, for heteros.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Ah, sorry. I should know better than to bring up new love blossoming around here. I know it’s a sensitive subject.”

“Fuck off,” Toni replies automatically, no real conviction behind it. She’s had three days of Veronica’s teasing about that girl. Cheryl.

“Don’t mind if I do, actually,” Veronica hops off the counter. “Betty’s on break soon. May treat her to a snow cone.”

Toni makes a low, scoffing sound. “And you’re all over my ass for pining over a straight girl?”

“Hey, it’s called projection, Topaz. Look it up. And be more sensitive. Just for that, I’m taking an extra ten minutes.” Veronica smirks over her shoulder as she walks away.

Toni turns her attention back to her book. It’s the slow period, and without Veronica yelling, she’s pretty confident she could have a dead half hour or so.

Veronica’s been gone for only ten minutes when she hears, “Hey.”

Toni slams her book shut and looks up, her groan at being interrupted catching in her throat as she finds herself looking at Cheryl. Slowly, she unrolls a smile. “Hey, you.”

Cheryl smiles back, an endearing blend of uncertainty and forced confidence. She’s wearing a black sleeveless t-shirt, red bra peeking out from the sides, and shorts so short they should be illegal.

 

“Back already?”

“I figured it was my turn to play,” she’s already got the cash in her hand.

Toni accepts it, fingers deliberately lingering, and clucks her tongue in sympathy. “Bastard wouldn’t let you, huh? Figured you’d show him up?”

Cheryl laughs, accepting her bucket of baseballs. “We’ll see, I suppose.”

Her first throw is only a couple of inches off.

“See, you’ve already got him beat.”

The second ball is more wild, but the third hits its mark and topples the entire pyramid. Cheryl’s eyes light up, and she turn to Toni with a triumphant smile.

“Fuck. No wonder you didn’t bring your boyfriend. That would’ve been embarrassing for him.”

“He’s not my boyfriend. Not really.”

Well, then.

Toni arches an eyebrow and mmm’s at that, turning around and picking up the fallen bottles to hide her smile. She turns back around and gestures at the wall of prizes. “So, what’ll it be?”

Cheryl smirks at her. “I thought you said no choosing?”

“I lied,” Toni says shamelessly, leaning on her forearms on the counter and grinning. “So, tell me how you acquired these skills.” She arches an eyebrow. “Former softball player?”

“My mom had me doing every sport possible back in middle school. Tennis was more my thing though.”

Toni smiles innocently. “But you played for both teams?”

Cheryl ducks her head when she laughs, another one of those face scrunching smiles Toni has been thinking about for the past three days. When she looks up again, her eyes are shining with something almost like wonder. “Who are you?”

“My name’s Toni.”

“Toni…” Cheryl repeats the name as if she wants to try out the sound of it. Somehow they’ve ended up only a few inches apart, leaning across either side of the counter.

“Cheryl,” she parrots back in a teasing voice.

Cheryl’s eyes flash smugly and she smirks. “Oh, you remembered?”

“Just part of the job. I’m very good at customer service.”

She fucking lips her goddamn lips. Fuck. “Yeah?”

Toni nods, and then, completely forgetting where the hell she is and what she is doing there (namely, being a responsible employee), she fastens her hand to Cheryl’s jaw and kisses her.

The only come up for air when Toni becomes aware of whoops and catcalls from across the walkway. Remembering herself she pulls back; over Cheryl’s shoulder, in their refreshment stand, Sweet Pea is dancing suggestively while Fangs laughs her ass off and whoops: “Get it girl!”

Toni gives them the finger, shooting Cheryl a reassuring grin. Cheryl looks slightly dazed, shocked by her own actions, but after a second she smiles back. She looks more confident now than Toni has seen her before, and completely unfazed by the persistent yelling of Toni’s companions across the way. “Was that my prize?”

Toni laughs out loud. “It can be. But I’d probably need to give you your money back so we don’t feel weird about it.”

Cheryl lifts herself up on the counter, just high enough to pluck a stuffed elephant off the side. Fucking miles worth of legs. “Here,” she hands the elephant to Toni, mock serious. “I won this for you.”

“Oh man, I’m becoming one of those girls.”

“Which girls would that be?”

“The ones who get all a’flutter over carnival prizes that are valued at fifty cents.”

“You’re a’flutter?”

Toni grins with her tongue caught between her teeth. “Only slightly.”

“Uh-huh,” Cheryl clears her throat, blushing even before she speaks. “Think we could go for more?”

Toni leans over again, tracing her thumb along the curve of Cheryl’s cheekbone. “I’m off at ten, if you wanna hang around.”

Cheryl smiles, self-assured. “Okay.”

They kiss again. There are more catcalls. Toni sends Cheryl off with a lanyard that’ll give her free rides and promises to meet back when the park’s last announcements come on.

\---------------

When Cheryl shows back up, Veronica grins and rolls her eyes and mutters warning about straight girls. Toni pretends like she’s going to shove Veronica off the counter, and then more genuinely tells her to get lost.

Cheryl tastes like cherry and powdered sugar, and she smells like roses and burnt out fireworks.

Toni closes the window in the front of the booth, knocks the milk bottles off the table as Cheryl hops onto it, winding those infinite legs around Toni’s hips.

It’s an unyielding scorcher of a summer.


	6. The Waves We Create

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spending your summer vacation at your parents beach house, with said parents and a grumpy twin brother, is not ideal. Meeting and obsessing over a particularly hot lifeguard, is not ideal. But then again, you never know what it might lead to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

**Turquoise:**

_luck, serenity, and renewal._

 

**The Waves We Create (rated T)**

 

Summer is the worst.

 

It’s Cheryl’s own fault. She should have found some excuse to stay in Poughkeepsie again; she’s managed double summer sessions the past two years, taking the minimal number of classes possible and staying in the independent bubble of college practically year round.

 

But now it’s catching up to her, the summer before senior year. Her program at Vassar isn’t one of the more extensive, and she’s already had to take the fewest number of hours the last two semesters to avoid graduating early.

 

No  _ way _ will she be graduating early.

 

So this is her punishment; two months in the beach house with her parents and Jason. They’d bought this place a few years ago, apparently tired of their house in the mountains, and Cheryl’s happily snagged the keys for a few weekend trips with her college friends, but so fair she’s managed to avoid this: the full summer, family vacation experience. She’d asked Jason about the past two summers -  _ How was it  _ really _?  _ \- but he’d poker faced her and just shrugged like she’d figure it out for herself soon enough.

 

Apparently the same families come around every year, her mother says it’s a  _ wonderful _ little community, and in the car ride she’s already chattering away about whether the Millers will even still be together, or if Patricia’s daughter has gotten herself together, and how they should really offer to host one of the get togethers this year, the backyard is certainly big enough.

 

In the passenger seat beside her mom - her father and Jason in the car in front of them, so Clifford can occasionally drive back to the office during the week - Cheryl listens dutifully to the run down of gossip, a veritable Who’s Who of wealthy vacationers, and thinks longingly of her backpack, buried in the trunk and packed with (hopefully) two months’ worth of beach reading. When they get close, within the limits of the small seaside town, Cheryl stares out the window at ports and sand dunes and tiny ice cream parlors and arcades, thinking longingly of Poughkeepsie, with its bars and clubs and college town culture.

 

She sighs.

 

At least she might manage to get a slight tan out of all this.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Summer is the best.

 

It’s not that Toni enjoys the seasonal influx of stuck-up, filthy-rich vacationers, come to populate their second (or, in some cases, third) homes that are probably ten, twenty, thirty times the size of the apartment Toni shares with her roommate, year round. But it beats the off-season alternative: cold beaches and a deserted town, everyone competing for gas station and fast food jobs just off the highway exits, considering a gig to clean the empty houses an absolute windfall.

 

But summer fills the beaches again, opens the surf shops and the arcades and the ice cream shop, allowing the locals to slide back into their long established gigs with utmost relief.

 

And Toni has the best one, even if she does say so herself.

 

She and Sweet Pea have a four year monopoly on the most optimally located lifeguard stand, enviable in its close proximity to the stretch of pier where the surf shops and refreshment stands are lined up. Sure, there is still the oppressive heat and the threat of sunstroke, and she goes through nearly a daily bottle of sunscreen, but it is still sunshine and bathing suits and minimal effort.

 

Sweet Pea, as usual, turns into an immediate zealot. “This is the fucking life,” he declares, sitting next to Toni on their double bench lifeguard stand. “Just chilling out in the sunshine, collecting a check. Surrounded by beautiful women.” He heaves an exaggerated sigh of contentment. “It’s the dream, Topaz. The dream, I tell you.”

 

“I was with you until the end,” Toni says dryly. “The  _ beautiful _ isn’t exactly universally applicable.”

 

“Sure it is. Look at ‘em,” Sweet Pea nods at a group of women strolling by, all of them on the high end of middle aged and taking great pains not to look it. “You can tell they’re beautiful cause they’ve paid to be.”

 

Toni smirks. “Think they bring their plastic surgeons along for vacation?”

 

“Oh, sure. Never know how much of a touch up the tits’ll need until they get a look at the competition.” They laugh; making fun of the summer populace is an old habit. Toni’s been grateful to share this gig with Pea - he’s been like a brother to her for as long as they both remember, and she’s one of the few people he lets down his walls around. After a second, Sweet Pea snaps his fingers, remembering something. “Hey, speaking of obscene wealth, I got good news… the Lodges are back.”

 

“Thank God,  _ finally _ . I was starting to think we’d be stuck with Tallboy’s shit all summer.” Tallboy has run the surf shop for something like fifteen years, and he sells them weed out of the back room… until Veronica Lodge arrives for the summer. Somehow, she’s able to consistently get her hands on some seriously premium shit, and thus becomes their benefactor, always waving away their perfunctory offers to pay. In exchange, they graciously pretend Veronica isn’t one of the rich, snobby elite and accept her into their fold. “Did you see Roni?”

 

“Nah, just saw the cars at their place on my way to the beach this morning. They must’ve just gotten there though… looked like the servants were still unloading the cars.”

 

Toni clears her throat, stiffens her shoulders, and affects a deep, uppity voice. “But, muffin, don’t you think  _ the help _ deserve a vacation, too? They are  _ technically _ human beings, too.”

 

Without missing a beat, Sweet Pea volleys back in his high pitches,  _ rich white lady voice _ , “Why, snookums. How could you even suggest such a thing? What kind of vacation would  _ I  _ have if there wasn’t any help? That’s worse than my day to day life!”

 

Toni starts to continue the joke, but then she spots something out of the corner of her eye, toward the edge of the water, and she raises her voice. “Hey, Cooper!”

 

Betty glances over from pushing her frozen lemonade cart across the sand. Toni gestures for her to come over, and with colossal effort she redirects the trajectory of the cart, practically at a forty-five degree angle trying to push it up the beach toward the lifeguard stand. her expression is suspicious when she approaches. “What?”

 

Sweet Pea holds out a hand and waggles his fingers expectantly. “C’mon babe. Hook us up.”

 

Betty puts her hands on her hips and squints up at them. “Why would I do that? You two don’t even tip. And stop calling me babe, ape-boy.”

 

“Why do you get a tip jar?” Sweet Pea scoffs. “We’re making sure no one  _ dies _ and we don’t have a tip jar.”

 

“Plus, why would we tip on something free?” Toni adds innocently. “Fifteen percent of zero is still zero.”

 

Rolling her eyes, Betty lifts both middle fingers at them and turns back toward her cart. “When you freeloaders got cash, come talk to me.”

 

“Fine, we don’t have money… but we have some information you’ll want,” Toni teases out.

 

Betty pauses, arching a wary eyebrow. “What information?”

 

Toni shakes her head and clicks her tongue. “Do people  _ pay  _ you before they get their product?”

 

With an excessive amount of grumbling and sighing, Betty fills two cups about eighty percent full of frozen lemonade and passes them up. Toni and Sweet Pea grin and clink the cups in gleeful triumph as Betty orders sternly. “So, go ahead. Tell me.”

 

Toni gives her a smug look, licking clean a generous spoonful of lemonade before stating, “Roni’s back.”

 

The irritable expression falls instantly from Betty’s face. “You sure?” Her eyes are darting around, and her hands come up almost unconsciously to adjust her tank top and smooth out her flowing skirt, as if she’s expecting Veronica to literally materialize.

 

“I saw them moving in,” Sweet Pea supplies.

 

Toni starts shimmying her shoulders, singing loudly, “ _ Reunited and it feels so good _ .”

 

Sweet Pea visibly chokes back a laugh, affecting an innocent expression as he looks down at Betty. Toni chuckles and raises her brows in question. “Did you two keep in touch? Carry on a beautiful courtship in the lost art of letter writing?”

 

His eyes lighting up, Sweet Pea slips into a decent impression of Betty’s innocent voice. “Dearest, darling, Veronica…”

 

Toni picks up the thread, her own mimicry skills slightly more polished. “... I’ll never forget our magical, drunken tryst under the boardwalk…”

 

“... I know I wasn’t the first woman you tasted that summer…”

 

“... but I do hope I was the sweetest…”

 

They’re laughing too hard to keep going, and Betty scowls up at them. “You’re both giant assholes, you know that?” She looks ready to vault up the lifeguard stand and pour their free frozen lemonade all over them.

 

Luckily, they’re saved the vengeance by a customer, a lanky college boy with bright red hair, tentatively approaching her cart. “Sorry to interrupt, but, uh, are you like… open?”

 

Betty nods, takes his money, and fills his order for two lemonades without smoothing out her glare even a little. When she’s handed the cups over, she flips Toni and Pea off one more time before turning her cart and heading off.

 

“She seems flustered,” Sweet Pea observes.

 

“Too much sunshine,” Toni answers sagely.

 

Toni flicks a glance in front of the stand; the guy is still standing there, holding a cup in each hand, completely failing to look like an idle bystander. “Hey, dude?” His whole body perks up and he lifts his face to her, like a dog catching a scent. “You by chance dying of sunstroke?”

 

“Uh. No.”

 

She jerks her head and gives him a benign smile. “Then fuck off.”

 

He scampers away. Sweet Pea clicks his tongue in mock admonishment. “Damn. You’re cold, Topaz.”

 

Toni ignores that, leaning back against the bench and tilting her cup back, shaking free the last bit of lemonade from the bottom. After a few minutes of content silence, she gives a perfunctory scan of the water and then nudges Sweet Pea, nodding her toward the ocean, where two heads are bobbing much further out than the rest. “Got a few in too deep.”

 

Sweet Pea sighs lazily. “Shit.” He holds out his fist, they do a quick, habitual rock-paper-scissors round. When Toni’s paper covers his rock, Sweet Pea groans and vaults off the stand, whistle already in his mouth, half jogging toward the water.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Jason flops back down on the towel beside hers, sending sand shooting over the pages of Cheryl’s book, and hands over her frozen lemonade before declaring; “The one lifeguard is an insanely hot girl and it smells like pot over there.”

 

Cheryl doesn’t even look up at him, adjusting her book so she’s holding it in one hand, using the other to eat. “And?”

 

“ _ And _ , I want to live at the lifeguard stand.” He discards his spoon entirely, slurping the frozen concoction directly from the cup. “Want to move closer?”

 

“Yeah, cause that’d be subtle.”

 

“There was a dude there too,” Jason tries. “I guess you might find him attractive.”

 

“Give up, Jason. It’s not happening.”

 

Jason stays silent for a few minutes, and Cheryl focuses her attention more on the lemonade than her book. She’d wanted to at least start out somewhat high brow, but  _ Anna Karenina  _ isn’t exactly proving ideal beach reading. Shocker. She’s already wishing for one of the embarrassin romance novels with their crappy watercolor painting covers that her mother likes to pretend she doesn’t read. Maybe she can compromise, go for some Jane Austen.

 

“Hey,” Jason thumps his knuckles against the book cover, none too gently. “Stop being boring.”

 

“What did you do the last two summers when I wasn’t here?”

 

“I didn’t really come to the beach.”

 

Cheryl sighs, and finally sets aside her book, acting like it’s a much bigger sacrifice than it actually is. “You didn’t make any friends? Mom and dad sure as hell did.”

 

“They’re all stuck up. Fucking rich kids.”

 

“ _ We’re  _ stuck up fucking rich kids.”

 

“Maybe  _ you _ are,” Jason counters with a derisive snort, in the kind of condescending tone of a young man who thinks he can disown his upbringing just by speaking the words.

 

“Sure, JJ.” She picks up her book again, and Jason sighs ostentatiously, flopping facedown on his towel. Cheryl cuts her eyes at her twin brother and smirks. She shoves the book down in a beach bag and pulls out a football, which she taps sharply against the back of Jason’s head. “Fine, c’mon. I’ll save you from this sedentary lifestyle.”

 

It is their summer vacation after all, and she can entertain Jason for a while. She does feel slightly guilty for cheating her way out of the past couple family trips, knowingly leaving him with the task of dealing with their parents.

 

Jason grins and leaps to his feet. “Sweet! There’s enough space down there, let’s move.” He points to a fairly empty stretch of sand, conveniently close to the lifeguard stand. Cheryl rolls her eyes but doesn’t protest. There’s only one lifeguard at the stand now, and Cheryl can’t make out much beyond a messy ponytail, pink highlights and a splotch of ink on her ribcage.

 

Jason jogs ahead of her, taking the end of the empty stretch of beach that’s closer to the lifeguard stand, tossing the football between his hands as though to prove his legitimate purpose. The lifeguard isn’t having any of it though, and has clearly had an earlier interaction with Jason, which he had mysteriously failed to mention.

 

“Oh, fuck no. I know your deal.” She points down the beach toward Cheryl, who’s standing in place a good distance away, as playing catch dictates. “Switch with her.”

 

Cheryl snickers as Jason turns tail, too embarrassed to think of a protest, and heads in Cheryl’s direction. She passes him on her way forward, plucking the ball from his hands and smirking. “Smooth.”

 

He shrugs, already shaking it off. “See if she’ll give you some weed, at least.”

 

Cheryl gets an appropriate distance away and flicks a glance toward the lifeguard stand, intending to give an eyeroll and an apologetic smile on behalf of her brother, but the way the girl is looking at her throws her off balance.

 

Her lips are pursed in a curled up smirk of a smile, and her eyes are narrow, dancing with both great mirth and great interest. Cheryl feels her gaze like it’s sweeping across her skin, hot and buzzing, the very first pricklings of sunburn.

 

She flushes for no logical reason, squinting into the sun and craning her neck up at the stand. She smiles and it feels involuntary. “Sorry,” she blurts out after a moment, and her voice sounds like she’s not sure if she’s apologizing for herself or Cal.

 

“No worries,” the girl cranks her grin up a few notches. “This works for me.”

 

Cheryl’s blush intensifies and she damns her fair complexion. Jason’s calling her name impatiently, so she turns around and hurls the ball wildly. It hits the sand way too soon, and she can hear the lifeguard laughing heartily behind her.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“You see what this chick is reading?” Sweet Pea’s nodding toward the redheaded girl, who for the past few days has been setting up her beach towel fairly close to their lifeguard stand. Toni isn’t sure if that’s her preference, or her brother’s. At least Toni assumes he’s her brother, given the identical fiery hair and pale complexion. Toni knows which option she prefers to think it is. “Fucking  _ Tolstoy _ . At the  _ beach _ .”

 

When Toni doesn’t comment, Pea stiffens his shoulders and adopts his mocking voice: “Oh, it was mighty nice of Harvard to allow me time off to take advantage of Mummy and Daddy’s third largest residence. I better not clutter my mind with anything too lowly, they wouldn’t want me tarnishing our family name.” Toni is only half listening, the redhead is rubbing sunscreen on her legs. Sweet Pea backhands her elbow. “Oh, what, now you don’t want to play?”

 

“Sorry,” Toni mutters, distracted.

 

Next to her, understanding dawns slowly on Sweet Pea’s expression, and he smirks. “Seen something you like, Topaz?”

 

Toni gives a nonchalant shrug. “She  _ is _ hot.”

 

She doesn’t let on what she’s really thinking. Sweet Pea would have  _ way _ too much fun with it. Because, yeah, she is looking so damn good in her bikini, but then again, most of these prep school and university girls do. What’s kept Toni looking is something else. Maybe that smile the girl had given her, that day with the football; her whole damn face had participated in that smile.

 

“Afternoon, ladies.” Toni turns to see one Veronica Lodge approaching; she’s wearing a pair of denim cutoffs and a bikini top, spooning frozen lemonade into her mouth, no doubt purchased from Betty’s cart. “How’s serving and protecting?”

 

“More like staring and drooling,” Sweet Pea grins. “Topaz has a crush.”

 

He nods at the girl, and Veronica tilts her head in that direction. “Oh, I’ve seen her around. Her family’s place is near my parents’. Huge snobs.”

 

Toni and Sweet Pea exchange a snide, amused glance, their usual response when Veronica talks like she’s not one of  _ those people _ .

 

But they tolerate it, and she immediately reminds them why, craning her neck to give them an expectant look. “Wanna smoke? Fresh in from the Hamptons.”

 

Sweet Pea nods immediately, holding out her fist to Toni to rock-paper-scissors for who goes first; one of them has to stay to man the station. Toni waves him off. “You go ahead, I’m good here.”

 

He smirks. “I bet you are.”

 

They head off, presumably to smoke under the pier.

 

The redhead glances over and meets Toni’s eyes. She gives a sheepish sort of smile, like she’s the one caught staring instead of the other way around. She lifts a hand, awkwardly waving.

 

Toni flutters her fingers back, coy. It’s going to be a long, hot summer. She’s not in any hurry.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

A neighbourhood clambake  _ sounds _ casual and easygoing enough in theory, but Cheryl isn’t surprised at all when she and Jason follow their parents into the Lodge’s sweeping backyard three houses over to find a fully catered affair, rented white tents lined up in the yard over the tables, naked light bulbs strung between them. It’s basically a pinterest wedding, except there’s no special occasion, and no happy newlyweds.

 

Jason gives a low whistle. “Damn.”

 

“ _ Language _ , Jason,” Penelope admonishes.

 

With a shrug, he shoves his earbuds in, cranks up the volume on his iPhone, and ambles toward the buffet. Cheryl starts to follow, but her mother lifts a hand to stop her. “Stay close, Cheryl, you still haven’t met everyone.”

 

Looking enviously after her brother, Cheryl nevertheless nods in agreement, and spends the next half hour following both parents around the party, smiling and nodding and thanking everyone who says she’s pretty, listening to the constant, repetitive rundown of her resume as a daughter - “senior at Vassar, English major, preparing to take over the family business one day” - without bothering to jump in and explain that the last part isn’t exactly true.

 

Her mother’s got an arm looped through her elbow and is introducing her to the night’s hostess, when suddenly the other woman looks away and calls; “Veronica! Come over here, I want you to meet somebody.” Mrs. Lodge flicks her eyebrows at Cheryl and her mother, long-suffering. “My daughter.”

 

The girl, around Cheryl’s age, stands straight as a rod, but there’s an air of utmost defiance about her, and mirth playing in her eyes. Her eyes flick to Cheryl and she smirks slightly, looking amused for some reason. Cheryl’s seen her at the beach a few times, hanging out with the lifeguards.

 

“Veronica, this is Cheryl.” She gives her daughter a significant, pointed look. “She’s a senior at Vassar.”

 

“Good on her,” Veronica says, voice dead flat. She lifts her brows at Cheryl. “You like it?”

 

It’s  _ painfully _ obvious she’s being sarcastic, just parodying interest, but both their mothers have expectant expressions on their faces, like this is a normal conversation, so Cheryl is forced to say, as noncommittal as possible, “Yeah, it’s good.” Still, the other girl intensifies her smirk, as if Cheryl had inadvertently walked into her trap.

 

“Cheryl’s going to take over the family’s maple business one day.” Veronica’s mother says, still with sharp, pointed significance, enough that Cheryl can recognize an unfavorable comparison is being made. She knew it well, from when her cousin attending Harvard would visit, or her other cousin, the doctor. She shifts uncomfortably, wanting an out.

 

“That’s cool,” Veronica says, tilting her head at Cheryl. “Much as I’d like to stay and chat, there’s a shrimp cocktail on the table, calling my name.” On that note, she grins and turns away, disappearing toward the buffet.

 

“I’m sorry about her,” Mrs. Lodge says, sounding more martyred than embarrassed. “That’s girl hasn’t been easy a day of her life.”

 

Penelope nods sympathetically. “Cheryl’s brother, Jason, is the same.”

 

Cheryl frowns, loyally protesting. “No, he’s not.”

 

“Cheryl,” her mother flashes her a warning look. “Why don’t you go and get some food, darling?”

 

She’s not fond of being dismissed like a child, but she is even less fond of being forced to conversate with her mother and other elitist women. She’s not exactly sorry to get away from the parade of introductions, either. She gives a dutiful smile to Mrs. Lodge. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”

 

She piles her plate with food and finds Jason sitting at the corner of a table mostly filled with pre-teen boys, hunched over handheld video games. He lifts his eyebrows; she rolls her eyes. All the communication they need.

 

Nearly an hour later, the sun gone down, Cheryl circles the yard with a glass of wine, keeping an eye out for her parents so she can make her excuses and head back to the sanctuary of their own house. There’s a group of little kids running around on the lawn playing tag, and Cheryl stops to watch for a minute, feeling a stab of envy. She probably would have liked it here when she was a kid, back when she loved family vacations and couldn’t yet see how…  _ obnoxious _ , her parents could be.

 

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t our beacon of success.”

 

Cheryl whips around to see Veronica, hand propped on her hip, a bottle of champagne in the other, smirking at Cheryl from the shadows of immaculate hedges. She’s been obviously been into the house to change, out of her dress and into cutoffs and a T-shirt that hangs off one shoulder.

 

“That’s what I’m here for,” Cheryl says sarcastically. “To inspire.”

 

The other girl grins, seemingly pleased at this moderate flash of an actual, real personality. Cheryl offers a half smile. “Veronica, right?”

 

She shudders like she’s been insulted. “Ugh.  _ Roni _ .” She grins again immediately. “Unless we’re going to sleep with each other. Then full names are acceptable.”

 

“Definitely not going to sleep with you.”

 

“Too bad. But I suppose it’d ruin your chance at becoming the poster child of  _ maple syrup _ .”

 

“I’m not going to have anything to do with that business. My parents just want me to.”

 

Veronica’s eyes spark with interest at that, but all she says is; “Excellent. I’ll be sure to mention that to mother dearest when she asks why I can’t be more like  _ that Cheryl girl _ . I’ll tell her that, hey, you may be a senior at Vassar, but you aren’t actually on track to be a syrup tycoon. It’ll make a world of difference.”

 

Cheryl’s not sure what to say to that, so, dumbly, she asks. “So you aren’t in school?”

 

“Oh, sure I am,” Veronica says, completely unperturbed. “I just tend to forget to show up. Or study. Or  _ care _ .”

 

She delivers this information with unmistakable pride, and Cheryl can’t help but smile a little. She likes Veronica. She’s maybe even a little bit jealous of her, wondering what that would feel like: all that  _ not giving a fuck _ , the way she’d walked away from her mother earlier like it didn’t matter at all.

 

All appearances of the past twenty-one years have pointed to the fact that Cheryl doesn’t have much of that in her. But sometimes, for some reason, she gets a flash of a feeling that maybe she  _ does _ .

 

Veronica’s studying her with interest, almost like she’d reading Cheryl’s flash of admiration and is trying to unspool it. “What about you? You always play Dutiful Daughter?”

 

“No.” The response is instant and defensive. “I already told you, they want me to take over the business, and I’m not going to do it.”

 

“But you haven’t told them,” Veronica counters, correctly. She smirks. “Not good enough.”

 

“Fine, okay. I had a job last semester. At the coffee shop on campus. But I didn’t tell my parents because they don’t want me working and getting distracted from school.” 

 

More like, they don’t want her doing any sort of work they consider to be  _ beneath _ her.

 

“So… you’re saying your big act of defiance was  _ getting a job _ ?” Veronica chokes out a laugh. “Stone cold  _ rebel _ .”

 

Cheryl scowls at her. “Well, if you’re so fucking rebellious, why are you  _ here _ ?”

 

“Are you kidding? Coming here is, like, the only perk of my parents being my parents. I fucking love it here.”

 

“You  _ can’t _ love it here.”

 

“Sure I can. You’re just not experiencing the right parts.” Veronica pauses, pursing her lips, looking like she’s indulging in some sort of private joke with herself. “You know what? I’m going to be your sponsor.”

 

“What does that even mean?”

 

“Meet me out front at, like…” Veronica glances at the Rolex wrapped around her wrist. “Eleven or so. I’ll show you where we keep the real fun.”

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

They’ve been back from the Lodge’s for about two hours; her parents are already asleep for the night and Jason’s zoned out in front of the giant flat screen when Cheryl heads outside to meet Veronica.

 

Veronica frowns when she sees her. “What, you couldn’t sneak any booze?”

 

Cheryl blinks at her. “You didn’t tell me to.”

 

“What you do think  _ fun _ means, Cheryl?” she waves a bottle of vodka for emphasis. “Oh, well. There’s usually plenty there. You can mooch for the night, try being the one missing something for a change.”

 

“Where is  _ there _ , exactly?”

 

“Don’t ruin the mystery, geez.”

 

The location itself isn’t much of a mystery, as it becomes quickly apparent that they’re heading toward the beach, over the dunes and onto the sand, where they walk nearly a mile down. They don’t talk much - they don’t really know each other, there isn’t much to say - but Cheryl doesn’t mind. She’s always preferred the water at night: the emptiness, the salt scented breeze, the blubbering of water as it hits rocks upon the shore, not drowned out by the chatter and screaming of children. Veronica takes nips from her vodka, and offers it to Cheryl a couple times Each time she obliges but barely consumes a mouthful; she’s always found vodka vaguely antiseptic.

 

After a while she spots the bonfire, the bright orange flames and crowd of people visible even before they’re close enough to hear the hum of conversation and laughter and occasional guitar strumming.

 

“Welcome to the real party,” Veronica tells her, as smug as if the whole gathering was her idea.

 

There’s a decent sized crowd gathered, sitting around the fire on low seated beach chairs or just sprawled out on blankets. Cheryl doesn’t recognize any of them, and she’s got a vague notion they wouldn’t have been attending the clam bake.

 

Veronica leads her to the only surface standing more than a foot off the stand: a fold up plastic table crowded with bottles and cans. Veronica leaves her partially full vodka bottle among them, opting instead for a half-drunk bottle of rosé. Cheryl hesitantly grabs a Red Solo cup, mixing rum and coke, swirling with her finger for lack of a better option.

 

When she looks up, Veronica’s ditched her.

 

Cheryl glances around, and her blood speeds up when she sees her, on the other side of the bonfire, talking to those lifeguards.

 

Specifically, the unfairly gorgeous, sexy, pink-hair-and-tattoo lifeguard.

 

The one Cheryl’s been watching for the past two and a half weeks. Two and a half weeks of sitting pointedly, purposefully in her line of vision, and she still hasn’t spoken to her since that first day. It’s frustrating; much more frustrating than the situation logically warrants. A few times she’s considered marching over to the lifeguard stand herself, but self doubt and a fear of misinterpreting always tugs her back. It’s not Like Cheryl is an expert in the signs of flirting between women. She’d only discovered recently that college ensured her the sanctuary to fool around with other girls, far away from her mother’s prying eyes. It was a whole other matter to attempt a summer fling when her mother was in the area.

 

The lifeguard is stretched out in a low beach chair, her long legs sprawled in the sand, hands busy with something in her lap, and she’s looking up at Veronica while they talk. Cheryl could walk over. She knows Veronica - she’s, technically, here with Veronica - and it wouldn’t be weird. Not at all.

 

But doubt grabs onto her again, and instead she goes and sits in the sand, slightly removed from the group, a full 180 degrees across from Veronica and her friends. She drinks, pouring rum down her throat like it might fuel her courage.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Hey, Topaz. I brought you a present.”

 

Toni barely looks up at Veronica, focused on rolling a joint on top of the magazine perched on her thighs. “Actually, for once, I’m all covered.” She holds up the joint in triumph. “Your services aren’t needed.”

 

“Not that kind of gift, pothead,” Veronica rolls her eyes. “Over there.”

 

Toni’s gaze follows Veronica’s nod and lands on the redheaded girl from the beach, currently mixing something at the drinks table and looking almost achingly lovely in a white cotton sundress and curly, flowing hair. Toni isn’t sure what sort of weird sap she’s turning into that she likes this better than the bikinis, but to be fair, that has been the constant for over two weeks now.

 

Not that the bikinis themselves are constant - it’s a different one every day. Literally. No repeats. This girl must own a full catalogue worth of swimwear.

 

“I met her at my parent’s dumbass clam thing tonight,” Veronica’s saying, and Toni is too pleased and distracted by recent developments to question what it even means to have a  _ dumbass clam thing _ . “She’s actually… not the worst.” Veronica sounds wholly and genuinely shocked by that fact.

 

“So... “ Toni lifts and eyebrow, expectant. “Tell me more.”

 

“Tell me more, like, does she have a car?” Sweet Pea deadpans from beside them, where he’s stretched out on the lap of the girl who runs the minigolf club rentals.

 

Either not getting the  _ Grease  _ reference, or more likely, not caring, Veronica answers. “Oh, I’m sure her daddy’s bought her some fancy ass ride.”

 

Toni and Sweet Pea burst out laughing, and Sweet Pea splutters; “ _ Bitch _ , you drive a goddamn Beamer.”

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Hey, you. Anna Karenina!”

 

Confused, Cheryl’s head swivels dumbly for a second, like she’s trying to figure out if someone actually named Anna Karenina might be in the vicinity, before her eyes settle on the lifeguard.  _ The _ lifeguard. She’s at the edge of the crowd, still with her friends, including goddamn useless Veronica, and she’s regarding Cheryl with obvious amusement.

 

“Sorry?”

 

The girl’s grin widens. “I’m obligated to tell you that even though there are lifeguards  _ present _ , we are all heavily inebriated. So swim at your own risk.”

 

Cheryl’s at the edge of the water, her sandals in one hand, the surf up to her ankles. She’s on her third or so cup of rum and coke, and it makes it easier to smile and incline her head solemnly. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The redhead - Veronica said her name is  _ Cheryl _ \- does that thing again, that full face smile, the one that crinkles her eyes and scrunches her nose and gives her dimples like parentheses, stretching that deep red lipstick to it’s very limits.

 

Goddamnit.

 

Toni walks over to her like she has any sort of choice in the matter. Like it’s some spur of the moment decision, not something she’s been building up to for weeks.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Finally, finally,  _ finally _ , the lifeguard breaks away from the crowd and moves closer, and Cheryl feels a thrill coiling in her gut that’s both victorious and terrified.

 

“So you’re the Ivy Leaguer?”

 

“No.” The girl frowns, like she’s been lied to, and Cheryl assumes this is false information courtesy of Veronica. “I mean. I go to Vassar. It’s not Ivy.” When the other girl doesn’t say anything, just stares Cheryl dead on with this frazzingly  _ expectant _ look on her face, Cheryl keeps talking, “It is one of the Seven Sisters though.”

 

“The  _ Seven Sisters _ ?” The girl smirks. “Sounds like a really bad porno.”

 

“It’s a group of seven schools that used to be exclusively women’s colleges. The name is actually for The Pleiades. You know, from Greek mythology?” Cheryl finds herself going defensive against her better judgement. She stops herself from continuing, not wanting to come of as superior or snobby.

 

And yet she’s still grinning, eyes dancing with a curious mix of amusement and fascination. “”I don’t know, no. So what do they teach you at The Seven Sisters? Besides Greek mythology, of course?”

 

“Um, English literature, mostly.” Cheryl takes a nervous sip, then drains the rest of her cup. “That and binge drinking.”

 

The lifeguard’s smile tilts crookedly. “Oh, yeah? I’m self taught.” She lifts the beer bottle in her hand up in a silent cheers before taking a generous swig. She takes a few steps closer, kicking her shoes haphazardly across the sand. “Cheryl, right?”

 

“Yeah,” Cheryl gives her a pointed look. “ _ Not _ Anna Karenina.”

 

“Hey, you’re the one who’s been reading it all month.”

 

Cheryl waits, and when she doesn’t say anything else, prods. “So are you going to tell me your name, or should I just pick a literary character at random?”

 

That earns her a short, genuine laugh and Cheryl feels it in her chest.

 

“My name’s Toni.”

 

“Toni…” she repeats the name for no real reason whatsoever. Toni is right in front of her now, her eyes tracing Cheryl’s face like  _ looking _ is all she needs to figure her out.

 

“I haven’t seen you here before this year. Parents just upgrade to new vacation digs?”

 

“They were here the last two summers… this is just the first year I haven’t been able to get out of it.”

 

“Aw,” Toni laughs at her in a way that should probably seem mean but somehow doesn't. “Poor little rich girl doesn’t like beach vacations?”

 

Cheryl bites her bottom lip, grinning sheepishly. Then, giving silent thanks to the alcohol buzzing in her system, she looks at Toni and says; “I’m liking it a little better right now.”

 

Toni’s eyes flare, pleased and smug. Cheryl tosses aside her empty cup, and Toni silently offers the beer.

 

When she hands the bottle back, Toni is still studying her. “So.  _ Cheryl. _ You go to Vassar - which is  _ not _ in the Ivy League, but  _ is _ apparently some sort of sister. You’re  _ really _ slow about reading Tolstoy. You suck at football. You’re nice to your brother… or, at least, I’m making an educated guess that’s your brother, and not your weird incestious boyfriend.” Cheryl makes a face, confirming that assumption, and Toni’s smile dials up a bit. “Excellent. So.” She cock and eyebrow. “What else do I need to know about you?”

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

They’re sitting side by side on the sand, Toni’s beer still between them, having one of those first flush conversations that goes everywhere, highways and backroads, big autobiographical information and small useless rants about the ice cream shop’s lack of flavor variety, when Veronica strolls over yelling Cheryl’s name. Toni levels a glare at her, but of course that only makes Veronica look more cheerful.

 

“Hey, Blossom, I’m heading back to the homestead. You walking with?”

 

Before Cheryl can answer, Toni shoots Veronica an innocently curious look. “What, no Betty?”

 

Veronica’s face darkens slightly. “Betty and I are having a difference of opinion about whether a certain  _ boyfriend _ in  _ college _ actually exists.”

 

Toni clicks her tongue sympathetically. “She probably has the authority on that one, huh?”

 

“ _ Supposedly _ ,” Veronica says skeptically. She shifts her gaze back to Cheryl. “So. You ready?”

 

Cheryl glances at Toni. “I’m okay. I’ll probably hang out for a while.”

 

Veronica looks back and forth between them, smirking. “Not past curfew?”

 

“I’ll walk her home, Lodge.” Toni says firmly. She catches Cheryl smiling out of the corner of her eye. “You’re more than free to go.”

 

Veronica meets Cheryl’s eyes and winks. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, Rebel.”

 

Toni waves sardonically at Veronica’s retreating back, then turns to Cheryl. “Feeling up to a swim?”

 

Cheryl’s eyes go wide. “Uh, the drunk and ocean combo might actually be something even Veronica wouldn’t do.”

 

Toni grins. “Wasn’t talking about the ocean.”

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“It’s closed,” Cheryl blurts out as soon as they get to the public pool, its chain link fence padlocked.

 

“That’s kind of the appeal,” Toni has already found a foothold and is starting to climb. Shockingly fast, she’s pulled the entirety of her tiny body over the top and is grinning at Cheryl from the other side of the fence. “Coming?”

 

“Um.” Cheryl hesitates, eyeing the plethora of signs warning against unauthorized, after hours entry.

 

“Hey,” she looks at Toni, who flashes her a reassuring grin. “The reason no one’s allowed in after it closes is because there’s no lifeguard on duty.  _ But _ …” she waves a hand at herself, expression smug. “Problem solved.” She lets her fingers drape over Cheryl’s hand clutching on the fence’s links, and Toni winks. “I’ll keep you safe.”

 

Cheryl grins and rolls her eyes, giving in. It’s only the summer holiday once a year, after all. And the thought of Toni wanting to share something like this with her is huge for her. She lifts her leg awkwardly to climb the fence. By the time she’s on the ground on the other side, Toni has tossed her v-neck aside and is stepping out of her shorts. It pulls Cheryl up short, though it really shouldn’t - she’s spent a lot of time recently, covertly staring at Toni in a bathing suit, and she rocks even the lifeguard’s red, standard issue one piece as if it’s not sacrificing anything.

 

Still. This is different. Now she has a name, and they’ve talked, and it’s just the two of them.

 

Now she’s close enough to touch.

 

Toni glances over her shoulder, a self satisfied look streaking across her face when she finds Cheryl staring. She pulls her hair out of its ponytail, leaving the hair tie tight around her wrist. She places her clothes on one of the many plastic beach chairs surrounding the pool. Then she turns back around, stepping quickly down the steps into the shallow end, ducking underwater when she’s all the way in.

 

She rockets to the surface, smoothing wet hair back on her head, and shoots Cheryl an expectant look. “C’mon, Bombshell.” The nickname rolls out like it’s the most natural thing in the world, like she’s said it a hundred times before. Like it’s  _ their _ thing. “Get your ass in here.”

 

Cheryl peels of her dress, thankful that she had made a spur of the moment decision to wear actual, matching underwear.

 

She throws Toni a teasing look and walks the perimeter of the pool to the deep end, climbing up the diving board.

 

“Show off,” Toni teases.

 

Cheryl just smirks before diving in gracefully. The water thrums around her ears, warmer than she’d expected, and she doesn’t pop to the surface until she’s beside Toni, chest deep in the shallow end.

 

Toni’s smile is the softest Cheryl’s ever seen it. “Hi.”

 

Cheryl’s every nerve comes alive in anticipation. “Hey.”

 

In the second before Toni’s mouth covers hers, Cheryl has the absurd expectation that she’ll taste like the ocean. Instead it’s beer and weed and something else, something vague and spicy that must be just  _ Toni _ .

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Toni holds her hand and walks her home at nearly four in the morning.

 

The next day on the beach, Cheryl climbs the side of the lifeguard stand to kiss her while Sweet Pea laughs at them and ostentatiously covers his eyes. When Cheryl returns to her beach towel, Jason is bug eyed and muttering something about  _ dibs _ .

 

Veronica calls her a lifeguard groupie for the next two weeks before even she gets sick of the joke.

 

Toni takes her to the arcade and laughs hysterically when Cheryl gets mad enough to kick the skeeball machine.

 

She goes to every bonfire, which turns out to be an almost nightly occurrence, sitting in the sand in front of Toni’s beach chair, leaning against Toni’s legs while she winds her fingers through her hair.

 

The summer cracks wide open, and suddenly Cheryl doesn’t want to go back.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

On Cheryl’s last night, they end up at the pier at two in the morning. It’s empty and quiet, and they can barely make out the orange pinprick of the fire, far, far down the beach.

 

Toni sits down on the wooden bench, built into the pier’s perimeter and pulls Cheryl onto her lap, facing her. “So.” She smiles teasingly, gently tucking a strand of hair behind Cheryl’s ear. “You regretting those last two summers of academic responsibility?” She gives a mock sigh. “You robbed us of so much time, Bombshell.”

 

Cheryl groans, nothing mocking about it, tilting her head forward and straining her neck to bury it briefly against Toni’s shoulder. “Don’t remind me.”

 

Toni waits until she looks up again, the teasing fading from her face. “So, what about next summer? After you graduate?”

 

“Next summer I’ll be here.” It may be the only tiny semblance of a plan she has post-college, but right now it seems like plenty.

 

A smile blooms across Toni’s face, and she leans up to gently capture Cheryl’s lips in hers. It’s a long, leisurely kiss, done under the illusion that they have all the time in the world.

 

“God…” Cheryl breathes out when she pulls away, her hands still cradling Toni’s face. “I’m going to spend the whole year just… waiting for summer.” Toni lets out a soft, surprised laugh at that, and Cheryl’s eyebrows knit together in confusion. “What?”

 

“Nothing, just… that’s kind of life around here.” She kisses Cheryl again, soft and quick. Habitual. “Always waiting for summer.”

 

Cheryl winds her finger around a strand of Toni’s hair. “But more this year, right?”

 

Toni grins, the smile Cheryl’s started to recognize as  _ just hers _ ; all soft, pure affection even when tinged with amusement. Toni’s lips brush the curve of her jaw. “Definitely more this year.” She kisses Cheryl’s cheek. “Waiting for summer.” On the lips, impossibly soft, and then Toni’s eyes settle on hers.

 

“Waiting for  _ you _ .”

  
  



End file.
